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WorksheetsAQA GCSE PHYSICS - ATOMIC STRUCTURE
Total questions: 47
Worksheet time: 24mins
What force keeps electrons in orbit around the nucleus?
Electrostatic attraction
Gravity
Magnetic repulsion
Magnetic attraction
What piece of equipment is used to detect ionising radiation?
Balance
Geiger counter
Ammeter
Voltmeter
What can ionisation of DNA molecules lead to?
Huntington's disease
Down syndrome
Cancerous tumours
Diabetes
What type of particle did Ernest Rutherford fire at a thin sheet of gold foil?
Alpha particles
Beta particles
Gamma rays
Cathode rays
How are the elements ordered in the periodic table?
By increasing atomic mass
By increasing atomic number
Alphabetically
By increasing number of neutrons
What are the constituents of beta particles?
Electromagnetic waves
Neutrons
2 protons and 2 neutrons
Electrons
What is transmutation?
When one isotope undergoes radioactive decay
When one element turns into another
When one element loses electrons
When one element loses neutrons
Put these types of nuclear radiation in order of ionising power, from most ionising to least ionising.
Alpha, beta, gamma
Alpha, gamma, beta
Beta, alpha, gamma
Gamma, beta, alpha
Which element contains no neutrons in its most common isotope?
Nitrogen
Helium
Neon
Hydrogen
How does the atomic number and mass number change in alpha decay?
Atomic number increases by 2; mass number increases by 4
Atomic number decreases by 4; mass number decreases by 2
Atomic number increases by 4; mass number increases by 2
Atomic number decreases by 2; mass number decreases by 4
What is nuclear fission?
Radioactive decay
Splitting of large nuclei into smaller nuclei
Chemical reaction
Combining small nuclei into larger nuclei
What is the missing number?
227
226
224
222
A radioactive substance has a half-life of 6 minutes. I
t starts with a count of 1236 counts/s.
What is the count after 12 minutes?
1236 counts/s
618 counts/s
309 counts/s
154 counts/s
Where does nuclear fusion occur?
Stars
Fighter jets
Cars
Nuclear power stations
What is an isotope?
Isotopes are different versions of the same element with the same number of electrons and different numbers of protons
Isotopes are different versions of the same element with the same number of protons and different numbers of neutrons
Isotopes are different versions of the same element with the same number of neutrons and different numbers of electrons
Isotopes are different versions of the same element with the same number of neutrons and different numbers of protons
What is the half-life of this sample?
4000 years
5000 years
5500 years
6000 years
What radioactive decay causes transmutation?
Gamma
Alpha & beta
Alpha & gamma
Gamma & beta
How many protons, neutrons and electrons are in this element?
209
Po
84
84 protons, 125 neutrons, 84 electrons
125 protons, 84 neutrons, 84 electrons
84 protons, 209 neutrons, 84 electrons
84 protons, 125 neutrons, 125 electrons
What is the half-life of this sample?
4.4 billion years
4 billion years
3 billion years
5 billion years
Why might an isoptope be unstable?
Too hot
Too many protons or neutrons
Too old
Pressure is too high
What are the constituents of alpha particles?
Electromagnetic waves
Neutrons
2 protons and 2 neutrons
Electrons
Why do pilots get a higher average radiation dose than other people?
Cosmic rays
Instrumentation in the aeroplane
There's less oxygen high in the atmosphere
They all have granite worktops in their kitchen
Why can't isotopes of an element be distinguished by chemical tests?
Isotopes of an element all bond chemically in the same way
Isotopes of an element don't participate in chemical reactions
Isotopes of an element are exactly the same
Isotopes of an element all bond chemically in different ways
Which is the only naturally occuring radioactive isotope of carbon?
Carbon-12
Carbon-13
Carbon-14
Carbon-15
In Rutherford's gold foil experiment, very few alpha particles were deflected through very large angles.
What did this tell Rutherford about the structure of the atom?
The atom is mostly empty space
The nucleus is very small and very dense
The nucleus is positive
Electrons orbit the nucleus
What is the charge on an alpha particle?
+2
+1
0
-1
What is the missing number?
224
225
226
227
The number of which subatomic particle controls what element an atom is?
Electrons
Neutrons
Protons
Quarks
What is an allotrope?
Atoms of the same element arranged in different ways
Atoms of different elements arranged in the same way
A chemical reaction
A collection of isotopes
What type of decay is this?
20179Au decays to 20180Hg
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Neutron
What type of decay is this?
23191Pa decays to 22789Ac
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Neutron
What are the constituents of gamma radiation?
Electromagnetic waves
Neutrons
2 protons and 2 neutrons
Electrons
What is the charge on gamma radiation?
+2
+1
0
-1
What is the missing number?
90
89
88
87
Which type of radiation is used to monitor paper thickness in factories?
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Neutron
What gas contributes about 40% of background radiation?
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Radon
Helium
Which type of radiation is used in smoke alarms?
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Neutron
How many protons, neutrons and electrons are in this element?
13
C
6
7 protons,
6 neutrons,
7 electrons
6 protons,
13 neutrons,
13 electrons
6 protons,
7 neutrons,
6 electrons
6 protons,
13 neutrons,
6 electrons
What is the charge on a beta particle?
+2
+1
0
-1
200 mg of uranium‐238 has a half-life of 4.5 billion years.
How much will be left after 13.5 billion years?
200 mg
100 mg
50 mg
25 mg
Which scientist discovered the electron?
Democritus
Ernest Rutherford
J.J. Thompson
Niels Bohr
Which type of radiation is used as a medical tracer to track blood around a patient's body?
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Neutron
Put these types of radiation in order, from most penetrating to least penetrating.
Alpha, beta, gamma
Alpha, gamma, beta
Beta, alpha, gamma
Gamma, beta, alpha
What is a suitable material for radioactive shielding?
Aluminium
Lead
Paper
Cloth
When considering radioactivity, what is ‘activity’?
Number of decays per second
Number of radioactive nuclei
Number of protons
Number of electrons
Where is nuclear fission used?
Stars
Fighter Jets
Cars
Nuclear power stations
What is nuclear fusion?
Radioactive decay
Splitting of large nuclei into smaller nuclei
Chemical reaction
Combining small nuclei into larger nuclei
