Nuclear physics IGCSE CIE

Front

What are isotopes?

Back

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different masses.

Front

What is required for nuclear fusion to occur?

Back

Very high temperature and pressure are required for nuclear fusion to occur.

Front

What does Rutherford's gold foil experiment demonstrate about atomic structure?

Back

Rutherford's gold foil experiment demonstrates that the nucleus is very small and that atoms are mostly empty space.

Front

What quantities vary between isotopes of an element?

Back

The number of neutrons and the nucleon number vary between isotopes of an element.

Front

What is the nucleon number of a carbon atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons?

Back

The nucleon number of this carbon atom is 12.

Front

Define nucleon number.

Back

The nucleon number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Front

What is the significance of the nucleus in an atom?

Back

The nucleus contains most of the atom's mass and is positively charged due to protons.

Front

How do isotopes of the same element differ in terms of stability?

Back

Isotopes can differ in stability; some may be stable while others are radioactive and decay over time.

Front

What is the role of neutrons in the nucleus?

Back

Neutrons help to stabilize the nucleus by offsetting the repulsive forces between positively charged protons.

Front

What is the relationship between atomic number and isotopes?

Back

The atomic number of an element is determined by the number of protons, which remains the same for all isotopes of that element.