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Worksheets

Radioactivity

Total questions: 41

Worksheet time: 21mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

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.

a)

Angelina Jolie

b)

Marie Curie

c)

Rosalind Franklin

d)

Cecilia Payne

2.

The type of radioactive particle that can be stopped by a sheet of paper is the _________.

a)

alpha particle

b)

beta particle

c)

gamma ray

d)

uranium

3.

The most penetrating type of radiation is the ______.

a)

alpha particle

b)

beta particle

c)

gamma ray

d)

uranium

4.

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 _______________.

a)

bubble chamber

b)

cloud chamber

c)

electroscope

d)

Geiger counter

5.

A helium nucleus with two protons and two neutrons is called a(n) ______________.

a)

alpha particle

b)

beta particle

c)

electroscope

d)

gamma ray

6.

When the strong force is not sufficient to hold unstable nuclei together permanently, __________.

a)

nuclear fusion occurs

b)

a solid becomes a liquid

c)

the nuclei decay

d)

carbon-12 becomes carbon-14

7.

Negatively charged particles emitted from the nucleus at high speed are __________.

a)

alpha particles

b)

beta particles

c)

gamma rays

d)

x rays

8.

The process by which nuclei having low masses are united to form nuclei with larger masses is ________.

a)

a chain reaction

b)

a chemical reaction

c)

nuclear fission

d)

nuclear fusion

9.

The discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel involved a __________.

a)

bubble chamber

b)

chain reaction

c)

Geiger counter

d)

photographic plate

10.

The stability of an isotope nucleus depends on the ___________.

a)

atomic mass

b)

atomic number

c)

number of neutrons

d)

neutron-to-proton ratio

11.

Radioactive tracers are useful in __________.

a)

calculating the age of fossils

b)

determining medical problems

c)

fueling nuclear reactions

d)

treating brain tumors

12.

Both a fusion and a fission reaction __________.

a)

cause chain reactions

b)

produce energy

c)

take place at room temperature

d)

use hydrogen as fuel

13.

Neutrons released in a fission reaction can strike other nuclei and cause

a)

a chain reaction

b)

an electron avalanche

c)

fusion reaction

d)

radioactive decay

14.

For which of the following problems would a scientist most likely use carbon-14?

a)

the calculate the age of the Earth's oldest rocks

b)

to calculate the age of a piece of bone

c)

to identify the elements that make up a rock

d)

to identify the elements that make up a bone

15.

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?

a)

100g

b)

50g

c)

25g

d)

10g

16.

Which of the following elements is most likely to be produced during nuclear fusion in the Sun?

a)

helium-4

b)

hydrogen-1

c)

uranium-235

d)

uranium-238

17.

When the __________ is not large enough to hold a nucleus together, the nucleus can become radioactive.

a)

electric force

b)

strong force

c)

tracer

d)

isotope

18.

Materials that continue to glow in the dark after they have been exposed to light are said to be:

a)

radioactive

b)

unstable

c)

phosphorescent

d)

incandescent

19.

The first person to recognize the existence of radioactivity was _____________.

a)

Marie Curie

b)

Henri Becquerel

c)

Albert Einstein

d)

Lise Meitner

20.

The ratio of protons to neutrons in stable isotopes of the lighter elements tends to be approximately _______.

a)

1:1

b)

1:2

c)

2:1

d)

unpredictable

21.

The most difficult type of radiation to block out is _________.

a)

alpha particles

b)

beta particles

c)

gamma rays

d)

visible light rays

22.

A particle released during the fission of uranium-235 is a(n)

a)

alpha particle

b)

beta particle

c)

gamma ray

d)

neutron

23.

If a neutron begins a nuclear chain reaction, then one product of that reaction must be ___________.

a)

a uranium-235 nucleus

b)

a neutron

c)

a uranium-238 nucleus

d)

a gamma ray

24.

In a reactor, nuclear energy is produced in the _______.

a)

moderator

b)

coolant

c)

fuel rods

d)

turbine

25.

Which of the following was NOT an important scientist in the discovery of radiation?

a)

Neils Bohr

b)

Marie Curie

c)

Pierre Curie

d)

Henri Becquerel

26.

Which type of radiation is the most penetrating?

a)

alpha radiation

b)

beta radiation

c)

gamma radiation

d)

all are equal

27.

Which is the only type of radiation that might penetrate the walls of a house?

a)

alpha

b)

beta

c)

gamma

d)

delta

28.

Which of the following isotopes is not commonly used for dating objects?

a)

carbon-14

b)

phosphorus-32

c)

potassium-40

d)

rubidium-87

29.

When one large nucleus is split into two smaller nuclei, the process is nuclear _______.

a)

decay

b)

fission

c)

fusion

d)

collusion

30.

To control a chain reaction, a moderator, such as ________ is used to slow down neutrons.

a)

graphite

b)

uranium

c)

water

d)

the core

31.

Two or more nuclei combine to form one larger nucleus in the process of nuclear ___________.

a)

decay

b)

fission

c)

fusion

d)

collusion

32.

Which produces more energy- nuclear fission or nuclear fusion?

a)

fission

b)

fusion

c)

The produce the same amount of energy.

d)

It depends on the reaction.

33.

The greatest source of radiation that humans are exposed to is _________.

a)

cosmic rays

b)

medical x rays

c)

radon

d)

rocks and soil

34.

Most radioactive waste is generated in ________.

a)

hospitals

b)

nuclear reactors

c)

tokamaks

d)

uranium mines

35.

The radioisotope iodine-131 is used to determine the health of the thyroid gland. Iodine-131 is an example of a ___________.

a)

allotrope

b)

tracer

c)

electron

d)

neutrino

36.

Unstable nuclei can break apart spontaneously, changing the identity of the ___________.

a)

element

b)

atoms

c)

compounds

d)

molecules

37.

__________ is the splitting of nuclei.

a)

fission

b)

fusion

c)

denaturation

d)

collusion

38.

__________ is the combining of nuclei.

a)

fission

b)

fusion

c)

decay

d)

collusion

39.

Alpha particles have a _______ charge.

a)

-1

b)

0

c)

+1

d)

+2

40.

Beta particles have a _________ charge.

a)

-1

b)

0

c)

+1

d)

+2

41.

Gamma rays have a ________ charge.

a)

-1

b)

0

c)

+1

d)

+2