Nuclear model and stability
Physics · Unit 1 — Thermal, nuclear and electrical physics · Ionising radiation and nuclear reactions
Learning objectives (24)
LO-1Describe alpha, beta positive, beta negative and gamma radiation, including the properties of penetrating ability, charge, mass and ionisation ability.LO-2Describe energy in terms of electron volts (eV) and joules (J).LO-3Describe nuclear fission and nuclear fusion with the aid of nuclear equations.LO-4Describe nuclides using XZ A nomenclature.LO-5Describe spontaneous alpha, beta positive and beta negative decay using decay equations.LO-6Describe the concept of artificial transmutation.LO-7Describe the concept of half-life.LO-8Describe the concept of the strong nuclear force.LO-9Describe the concepts of mass defect, binding energy and binding energy per nucleon.LO-10Describe the mass–energy equivalence relationship.LO-11Describe the nuclear model of the atom characterised by a small nucleus surrounded by electrons.LO-12Distinguish between artificial transmutations and natural radioactive decay.LO-13Examine exponential decay graphs and use these graphs to estimate half -lives.LO-14Explain a fission chain reaction.LO-15Explain a neutron-induced nuclear fission reaction, including references to extra neutrons produced from many of these reactions.LO-16Explain how a radionuclide will, through a series of spontaneous decays, become a stable nuclide.LO-17Explain how an excess of mass, protons, or neutrons in a nucleus can result in alpha, beta positive and beta negative decay.LO-18Explain natural radioactive decay in terms of stability.LO-19Explain that more energy is released per nucleon in nuclear fusion than in nuclear fission because a greater percentage of the mass is transformed into energy.LO-20Explain the stability of a nuclide in terms of the operation of the strong nuclear force over very short distances, electrostatic repulsion, and the relative number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.LO-21Explain why protons in the nucleus repel each other.LO-22Solve problems involving balancing nuclear equations.LO-23Solve problems involving the mass–energy equivalence relationship using ∆𝐸 = ∆𝑚𝑐2.LO-24Solve radioactive decay problems using 𝑁 = 𝑁𝑜 (1 2)𝑛 and other arithmetic or graphical methods. Energy and mass defect
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