wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Honors Review - Fission, Fusion, and Decay (SPS4abc)

Total questions: 70

Worksheet time: 2hrs 54mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Where does fusion take place?

a)

sun

b)

stars

c)

deep inside the earth

d)

nuclear reactors

2.

Where does fission take place?

a)

sun

b)

stars

c)

deep inside the earth

d)

nuclear reactors

3.

Fission creates the energy that causes:

a)

Volcanic Eruptions

b)

Earthquakes

c)

Flooding

d)

Thunderstorms

4.

What process uses fission to generate electricity?

a)

Nuclear power

b)

Nuclear bombs

c)

Physical change

d)

Chemical reaction

5.

What element is the main source of fuel for fission?

a)

Uranium

b)

Hydrogen

c)

Carbon

d)

Krypton

6.

What element is the main source of fuel for fusion?

a)

Uranium

b)

Hydrogen

c)

Carbon

d)

Krypton

7.

Advantages of Nuclear power include:

a)

Creates a lot of energy

b)

Safer than coal (in the U.S.)

c)

Involves harmful radioactive elements

d)

Produces radioactive waste that must be stored

8.

Disadvantages of Nuclear power include:

a)

Creates a lot of energy

b)

Safer than coal (in the U.S.)

c)

Involves harmful radioactive elements

d)

Produces radioactive waste that must be stored

9.

Fission:

a)

Splitting of radioactive elements into lighter elements

b)

Combining of small elements into heavier elements

c)

Creates a LOT of energy

d)

Produces radioactive waste

10.

Fusion:

a)

Splitting of radioactive elements into lighter elements

b)

Combining of small elements into heavier elements

c)

Creates a LOT of energy

d)

Requires temperatures over 50 million degrees Celsius

11.

What process describes two small nuclei combining into a larger nucleus?

a)

fission

b)

fusion

c)

alpha decay

d)

beta decay

12.

What process is described by the splitting of a nucleus into smaller nuclei?

a)

fusion

b)

fission

c)

half-life

d)

gamma radiation

13.

What nuclear process is shown in the picture?

a)

alpha decay

b)

gamma emission

c)

fusion

d)

fission

14.

The nuclear equation shown models which nuclear process?

a)

fusion

b)

fission

c)

beta decay

d)

gamma emission

15.

Which nuclear process if shown in the picture?

a)

alpha decay

b)

beta decay

c)

fusion

d)

fission

16.
What is a benefit of nuclear fission?
a)
The ability to absorb energy
b)
The ability to release tremendous amounts of energy
c)
The ability to produce more energy than nuclear fusion
d)
There are no beneficial aspects of nuclear fission
17.

One disadvantage of nuclear energy produced through fission is ___.

a)

it is a fossil fuel

b)

it leaves behind radioactive waste

c)

it emits large amounts of pollution into the atmosphere

d)

there are no disadvantages

18.

Which of the following is NOT an example of nuclear fission?

a)

nuclear power plants

b)

the sun

c)

atomic bombs

19.

Which material is responsible for initiating and continuing the chain reaction?

a)

neutron, 01n

b)

Uranium - 235, 23592U

c)

Krypton - 90, 9036Kr

d)

Barium - 144, 14456Ba

20.

Which of the following is NOT a true statement about nuclear fission?

a)

big atoms split apart

b)

it occurs naturally

c)

it produces radioactive waste

d)

it releases less energy than fusion

21.
Which of the following is true about nuclear fusion?
a)

It creates radioactive waste products.

b)
It produces less energy than nuclear fission.
c)
It produces more energy than nuclear fission.
d)
It has the ability to occur easily in everyday life.
22.

What do scientists call isotopes with radioactive nuclei that can emit or give off smaller subatomic particles and electromagnetic radiation?

a)

stable isotopes

b)

radioactive isotopes

c)

electromagnetic isotopes

d)

strong nuclear force isotopes

23.

Which subatomic particle seems to have a stabilizing effect on an isotope?

a)

protons

b)

neutrons

c)

electrons

d)

quarks

24.

A large unstable isotope is bombarded by high speed particles (usually neutrons) and breaks apart into smaller particles and nuclei during what type of reaction?

a)

fusion

b)

electromagnetic

c)

double replacement

d)

fission

25.

Which of the following statements is false about stability and decay?

a)

The less stable the isotope, the quicker the sample decays.

b)

Scientists use the half life as an indicator of how stable a particular isotope is.

c)

The half life is equal to the time it takes for one-fourth of a sample’s neutrons to decay.

d)

The more stable the isotope, the slower a sample decays.

26.

An example of an uncontrolled fission reaction is _______________

a)

Nuclear power plants

b)

Radioactive decay

c)

Nuclear bomb

d)

On the surface of the sun

27.
The product of nuclear fission includes
a)
neutrons and electrons
b)
several nuclei and neutrons
c)
several nuclei and electrons
d)
several nuclei and protons
28.
_________ happens naturally due to an unstable nucleus.
a)
fission
b)
fusion
c)
radioactive decay
d)
K-capture
29.
The major drawback to nuclear fission reactors is the difficulty of achieving safe disposal of radioactive waste products.
a)
true
b)
false
30.

Can be stopped by aluminum foil; has almost no mass and a negative charge.

a)

beta particle

b)

alpha partcle

c)

gamma ray

d)

half-life

31.

Powerful radiation that can cause biological damage.

a)

beta particle

b)

alpha particle

c)

gamma ray

d)

carbon dating

32.

Using the decay of an isotope to find the age of a once-living object [fossil].

a)

carbon dating

b)

alpha particle

c)

gamma ray

d)

half-life

33.

A helium nucleus; low energy.

a)

gamma ray

b)

carbon dating

c)

half-life

d)

alpha particle

34.

Time necessary for 50% of a radioactive sample to decay.

a)

carbon dating

b)

half-life

c)

alpha particle

d)

gamma ray

35.

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

a)

alpha particle

b)

uranium

c)

beta particle

d)

gamma ray

36.

The most penetrating type of radiation is the _______.

a)

beta particle

b)

gamma ray

c)

uranium

d)

alpha particle

37.

_____ is the only fundamental force that attracts and repels.

a)

Gravitational

b)

Strong Nuclear

c)

Electromagnetic

d)

Weak Nuclear

38.

What causes an atom to be unstable

a)

Imbalance of protons and neutron

b)

Not enough electrons in the electron cloud

c)

Too much energy in the nucleus

d)

Too much space between the nucleus and the electron cloud

39.

Only nuclei with _________ atomic numbers can undergo fission.

a)

small

b)

even

c)

odd

d)

large

40.
How is nuclear fusion different from nuclear fission?
a)

In fusion, the product is a larger atomic nucleus.

b)

Fission produces energy but fusion does not.

c)

Fusion produces energy but fission does not.

d)

In fission, the product is a larger atomic nucleus.

41.

You have 100 grams of radioactive C-14. The half life of C-14 is 5730 years.

How many grams are left after 2 half lives?

a)

100 grams

b)

25 grams

c)

2 grams

d)

50 grams

42.

Imagine you have 50,000 atoms of uranium-238. If U-238 has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, how many U-238 atoms will be left after 4.5 billion years?

a)

25,000

b)

50,000

c)

12,500

d)

0

43.

If 10 mg of iodine 131 is given to a patient, how much is left after 24 days? The half-life of iodine-131 is 8 days.

a)

1.25mg

b)

1.25g

c)

10g

d)

10mg

44.

After the third half-life, how much of the sample is left?

a)

1/2

b)

1/3

c)

1/16

d)

1/8

45.

What percent of carbon-14 would be left after 5730 years?

a)

100%

b)

75%

c)

50%

d)

25%

46.

What is the half-life of iodine-131?

a)

32 days

b)

8 days

c)

16 days

d)

24 days

47.

The time it takes for a radioactivity level to drop by a half is is the sample's ___________________.

a)

quarter life

b)

whole life

c)

wonderful life

d)

half life

48.

If the half-life of uranium-232 is 70 years, how many half-lives will it take for 10 g of it to be reduced to 1.25 g?

a)

1 half-life

b)

2 half-lives

c)

3 half-lives

d)

4 half-lives

49.

When an isotope goes through 3 half-lives, _____ _________________ remains

a)

1/32 or 3.125%

b)

1/8 or 12.5%

c)

1/16 or 6.25%

50.

When an isotope goes through 4 half-lives, _____ _________________ remains

a)

1/4 or 25%

b)

1/8 or 12.5%

c)

1/16 or 6.25%

51.

How much of an 80 g sample will remain after 21.2 years?

a)

40 g

b)

20 g

c)

10 g

d)

5 g

52.

How many years will it take for an 80 g sample to decay to 10 g? (Remember, you must add 5.3 years for each half-life.)

a)

10.6 years

b)

15.9 years

c)

21.2 years

d)

26.5 years

53.

If 20 g of copper-64 has a half-life of 13 hours, what mass of copper-64 will remain after 39 hours? ( Drag the answer to the space.)​ ​ (a)  

Choose from the below words
2.5 g
20 g
10 g
1.25 g
5 g
0.625
54.

If 20 g of copper-64 has a half-life of 13 hours, what mass of copper-64 will remain after 26 hours?

a)

20 g

b)

10 g

c)

5 g

d)

2.5 g

55.

What is the half-life of radium-226?

a)

1600 years

b)

3200 years

c)

4800 years

d)

6400 years

56.

What is the half-life of strontium-90?

a)

25 years

b)

50 years

c)

75 years

d)

100 years

57.

How many grams will remain after 100 g of cobalt-60 has gone through 3 half-lives?

a)

50 g

b)

25 g

c)

12.5 g

d)

6.25 g

58.

How many years will it take for 75% of 100 g of cobalt-60 to decay?

a)

5 years

b)

10 years

c)

15 years

d)

20 years

59.

The % of the parent isotope remaining after 2 Half Lives.

a)

50%

b)

25%

c)

12.5%

d)

6.25%

60.

What is the Half life of this isotope?

a)

5 seconds

b)

10 seconds

c)

15 seconds

d)

20 seconds

61.
If one-fourth of the carbon-14 is remaining then how many half-lives have passed?
a)
1
b)
2
c)
3
d)
4
62.

What is the only difference between two different isotopes of the same element?

a)

Number of neutrons

b)

Number of protons

c)

Number of electrons

d)

Size of atom

63.
The half-life of strontium-90 is 25 years. How much strontium-90 will remain after 100 years if the initial amount is 4.0 g?
a)
3.0g
b)
0.25mg
c)
0.3g
d)
0.25g
64.
If the half-life of uranium-232 is 70 years, how many half-lives will it take for 10 g of it to be reduced to 1.25 g?
a)
1 half-life
b)
2 half-lives
c)
3 half-lives
d)
4 half-lives
65.

The diagram shows 32 atoms.

16 of the Red are parent isotopes

16 of the Green are daughter isotopes

How many half-lives have occurred?

a)

0

b)

1

c)

2

d)

3

66.

The diagram shows 32 atoms

32 of the Red are the parent isotope

0 of the atoms are daughter isotopes

How many half-lives have occurred?

a)

0

b)

1

c)

2

d)

3

67.
The half-life of Zn-71 is 2.4 minutes. If one had 100.0 g at the beginning, how many grams would be left after 7.2 minutes has elapsed?
a)
100.0g
b)
50.0g
c)
12.5g
d)
8.5g
68.

If the half life of a radioactive element is 100yrs, how long would it take for the radioactivity to reduce by one half?

a)

200yrs

b)

100yrs

c)

50yrs

d)

300yrs

69.
_______________ is the process by which unstable atoms emit radiation until they become stable.
a)
Radiation
b)
Chemical Reaction
c)
Radioactive Decay
d)
Isotopes
70.
What is Half-life?
a)
The amount of time it takes for some of the nuclei in a sample of the isotope to decay
b)
The amount of time it takes for half the electrons in a sample of the isotope to decay
c)
The amount of time it takes for half the nuclei in a sample of the isotope to decay
d)
the amount of time it takes to double the nuclei in a sample of the isotope to decay