Nuclear Reactions & Half Life

What makes something radioactive?

• elements with an atomic number above 80

• unstable nuclei

• contaminated sewage

• stable nuclei

• high energy electrons

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

The splitting of a nucleus into smaller nuclei is

• nuclear fusion

• nuclear fission

• radioactive half-life

• gamma radiation

• beta radiation

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Why does alpha decay occur?

• The nucleus is too large to be stable

• The proton to neutron ratio is unstable

• The nucleus is in an excited state. This usually follows other types of decay.

• The isotope has too many high energy electrons

• The nucleus is too small to be viable by itself

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Why does beta decay occur?

• The nucleus is too large to be stable

• The proton to neutron ratio is unstable

• The nucleus is in an excited state. This usually follows other types of decay.

• The nucleus is too small to be viable by itself

• The isotope has too many high energy electrons

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Why does gamma decay occur?

• The nucleus is too large to be stable

• The proton to neutron ratio is unstable

• The nucleus is in an excited state. This usually follows other types of decay.

• The nucleus is too small to be viable by itself

• The isotope has too many high energy electrons

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Which reaction represents nuclear fission?

• F

• G

• H

• J

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

What is the term for an ongoing series of nuclear reactions?

• radiation

• chain reaction

• fusion

• nucleotide

• radioactivity

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Nuclear fission of uranium-235 can start a chain reaction by

• releasing enough thermal energy to start nuclear fission in neighboring atoms

• producing two smaller atoms that can then strike and split neighboring atoms

• producing neutrons that can then strike and split neighboring atoms

• combining two atoms with low mass to form one large atom

• after releasing high energy gamma photons it continues the process

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Nuclear fission rarely occurs spontaneously. Instead we can induce nuclear fission or this release of energy when the nucleus splits. How do we start the chain reaction of nuclear fission?

• Shooting a high energy Proton at the sample

• Shooting a high energy Neutron at the sample

• Shooting a high energy Electron at the sample

• Shooting a high energy Positron at the sample

• Shooting a high energy Photon at the sample

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NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Which of the following best describes how nuclear reactions are used to generate electricity?

• Nuclei produced in reactions generate electromagnetic waves.

• Heat from fission is used to produce steam, which drives a turbine.

• Splitting nuclei give up their electrons, when they flow through wires.

• Light from fission is captured by photocells, which produce electricity.

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