IB DP Physics Standard Level (2023 syllabus) · IB ib-phys-sl
E Nuclear and quantum physics
Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).
Practice questions on Nuclear and quantum physics
- Explain why a sample of a pure beta-minus emitting nuclide shows a continuous energy spect… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why a minimum mass of fissile material, known as the critical mass, is required to… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain the sequence of nuclear reactions that converts hydrogen into helium within a main… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain what happens to a star of approximately one solar mass after it exhausts the hydro… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why the core temperature of a star must reach approximately 10⁷ K before hydrogen … (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why the products of a uranium-235 fission reaction are radioactive and why this ra… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why the energy released per kilogram of fuel in a nuclear fission reaction is many… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why the line emission spectrum of hydrogen provides evidence for the existence of … (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why the Geiger–Marsden alpha-particle scattering experiment led to the replacement… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain how the observation that most alpha particles passed straight through gold foil wi… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain how the observation that a small fraction of alpha particles in the Geiger–Marsden… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why electrons in an atom do not spiral inward and collapse into the nucleus, accor… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why two samples of the same radioactive nuclide, one with twice the number of atom… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why the decay constant of a radioactive nuclide is unaffected by changes in temper… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why the activity of a radioactive sample decreases over time, even though the deca… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why it is impossible to predict the exact moment at which a specific nucleus in a … (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why a controlled chain reaction in a nuclear fission reactor requires the use of a… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why enriched uranium, rather than natural uranium, is typically used as fuel in mo… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain why a main sequence star remains in a stable equilibrium state for an extended per… (4 marks, Explain)
- Explain the changes in a star's internal structure and energy production that occur as it … (4 marks, Explain)
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