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WorksheetsRadioactivity
Total questions: 41
Worksheet time: 21mins
Who am I? I was the first woman to get my doctorate in physics, along with my husband I discovered radium, I won two Nobel Prizes (physics and chemistry), I drove a mobile X-ray unit along the front lines during WWI, and I faced sexism and anti-immigrant discrimination in France.
Angelina Jolie
Marie Curie
Rosalind Franklin
Cecilia Payne
The type of radioactive particle that can be stopped by a sheet of paper is the _________.
alpha particle
beta particle
gamma ray
uranium
The most penetrating type of radiation is the ______.
alpha particle
beta particle
gamma ray
uranium
One type of radioactive device that indicates the intensity of radiation with a clicking sound that increases in frequency as more radiation is present is the _______________.
bubble chamber
cloud chamber
electroscope
Geiger counter
A helium nucleus with two protons and two neutrons is called a(n) ______________.
alpha particle
beta particle
electroscope
gamma ray
When the strong force is not sufficient to hold unstable nuclei together permanently, __________.
nuclear fusion occurs
a solid becomes a liquid
the nuclei decay
carbon-12 becomes carbon-14
Negatively charged particles emitted from the nucleus at high speed are __________.
alpha particles
beta particles
gamma rays
x rays
The process by which nuclei having low masses are united to form nuclei with larger masses is ________.
a chain reaction
a chemical reaction
nuclear fission
nuclear fusion
The discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel involved a __________.
bubble chamber
chain reaction
Geiger counter
photographic plate
The stability of an isotope nucleus depends on the ___________.
atomic mass
atomic number
number of neutrons
neutron-to-proton ratio
Radioactive tracers are useful in __________.
calculating the age of fossils
determining medical problems
fueling nuclear reactions
treating brain tumors
Both a fusion and a fission reaction __________.
cause chain reactions
produce energy
take place at room temperature
use hydrogen as fuel
Neutrons released in a fission reaction can strike other nuclei and cause
a chain reaction
an electron avalanche
fusion reaction
radioactive decay
For which of the following problems would a scientist most likely use carbon-14?
the calculate the age of the Earth's oldest rocks
to calculate the age of a piece of bone
to identify the elements that make up a rock
to identify the elements that make up a bone
Thorium-234 has a half life of 24 days. If you started with a 100-g sample of thorium-234, how much would remain after 48 days?
100g
50g
25g
10g
Which of the following elements is most likely to be produced during nuclear fusion in the Sun?
helium-4
hydrogen-1
uranium-235
uranium-238
When the __________ is not large enough to hold a nucleus together, the nucleus can become radioactive.
electric force
strong force
tracer
isotope
Materials that continue to glow in the dark after they have been exposed to light are said to be:
radioactive
unstable
phosphorescent
incandescent
The first person to recognize the existence of radioactivity was _____________.
Marie Curie
Henri Becquerel
Albert Einstein
Lise Meitner
The ratio of protons to neutrons in stable isotopes of the lighter elements tends to be approximately _______.
1:1
1:2
2:1
unpredictable
The most difficult type of radiation to block out is _________.
alpha particles
beta particles
gamma rays
visible light rays
A particle released during the fission of uranium-235 is a(n)
alpha particle
beta particle
gamma ray
neutron
If a neutron begins a nuclear chain reaction, then one product of that reaction must be ___________.
a uranium-235 nucleus
a neutron
a uranium-238 nucleus
a gamma ray
In a reactor, nuclear energy is produced in the _______.
moderator
coolant
fuel rods
turbine
Which of the following was NOT an important scientist in the discovery of radiation?
Neils Bohr
Marie Curie
Pierre Curie
Henri Becquerel
Which type of radiation is the most penetrating?
alpha radiation
beta radiation
gamma radiation
all are equal
Which is the only type of radiation that might penetrate the walls of a house?
alpha
beta
gamma
delta
Which of the following isotopes is not commonly used for dating objects?
carbon-14
phosphorus-32
potassium-40
rubidium-87
When one large nucleus is split into two smaller nuclei, the process is nuclear _______.
decay
fission
fusion
collusion
To control a chain reaction, a moderator, such as ________ is used to slow down neutrons.
graphite
uranium
water
the core
Two or more nuclei combine to form one larger nucleus in the process of nuclear ___________.
decay
fission
fusion
collusion
Which produces more energy- nuclear fission or nuclear fusion?
fission
fusion
The produce the same amount of energy.
It depends on the reaction.
The greatest source of radiation that humans are exposed to is _________.
cosmic rays
medical x rays
radon
rocks and soil
Most radioactive waste is generated in ________.
hospitals
nuclear reactors
tokamaks
uranium mines
The radioisotope iodine-131 is used to determine the health of the thyroid gland. Iodine-131 is an example of a ___________.
allotrope
tracer
electron
neutrino
Unstable nuclei can break apart spontaneously, changing the identity of the ___________.
element
atoms
compounds
molecules
__________ is the splitting of nuclei.
fission
fusion
denaturation
collusion
__________ is the combining of nuclei.
fission
fusion
decay
collusion
Alpha particles have a _______ charge.
-1
0
+1
+2
Beta particles have a _________ charge.
-1
0
+1
+2
Gamma rays have a ________ charge.
-1
0
+1
+2
