Nuclear Radioactivity Review

Nuclear reactors convert heat energy into mechanical energy, used to generate electrical energy, by

• turning a turbine with steam.

• harnessing electromagnetic discharge.

• gathering solar radiation.

• using an electron transfer system.

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NGSS.HS-PS3-3

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How many half-lives does it take a radioactive substance to decay until only one-eighth of the original substance remains?

• two

• three

• six

• eight

The half-life for a 100-gram sample of radioactive element X is 5 days. How much of element X remains after 10 days have passed?

• 25 g

• 50 g

• 75 g

• 100 g

Which statement best describes a risk associated with using radioisotopes in nuclear reactors?

• A. Radioisotopes are extremely difficult to obtain and can only be retrieved from the Sun.

• B. The radioisotopes that are used in nuclear reactors are mined from within Earth's crust, not from the Sun.

• C. Radioisotopes are expensive and do not produce the amount of energy that coal and oil produce.

• D. If the radiation were to leak out of the reactors, it could cause significant damage to living organisms.

The graph shows the radioactive decay of a bone that is found to contain 1/8 of the carbon-14 found in living animals today. Approximately how old is the bone?

• A. 5,730 years

• B. 11,460 years

• C. 17,190 years

• D. 22,920 years

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Which statement is best supported by the graph?

• Nuclear and coal have similar production costs, and petroleum's production costs have increased over time.

• Nuclear and coal have similar production costs, and petroleum's production costs have decreased over time.

• Nuclear and petroleum have similar production costs, and gas's production costs have increased over time.

• Nuclear and petroleum have similar production costs, and gas's production costs have stayed the same over time.

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Technetium-99m is a radioactive isotope commonly used in medicine as a radioactive tracer. If a patient receives a dose of technetium-99m one morning, about what percentage of the technetium-99m will be left in the patient's body 12 hours later?

• 6.25%

• 12.5%

• 25.0%

• 93.8%

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

What is one benefit to using fission reactions instead of fusion reactions?

• Fission reactions do not produce dangerous transuranium nuclides.

• Fission reactions do not require extremely high temperatures.

• Fission reactions utilize fuel that is more readily available.

• Fission reactions generate more power per unit fuel.

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Which radioactive isotope is used to generate energy in nuclear reactors?

• carbon-14

• iodine-131

• potassium-40

• uranium-235

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

A sample of argon-39 had an initial mass of 1.00 kilogram (kg). After 150 years, the same sample has a mass of 0.6795 kg. What is the half-life of argon-39?

• 680 years

• 386 years

• 269 years

• 221 years

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8