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Radioactivity: Multiple Choice Questions

Q1. Which of the following best describes the decay constant for a radioisotope?

A

The reciprocal of the half-life of the radioisotope.

B

The rate of decay of the radioisotope.

C

The constant of proportionality which links half-life to the rate of decay of nuclei.

D

The constant of proportionality which links rate of decay to the number of undecayed nuclei.

 

 

Q2. After 64 days the activity of a radioactive nuclide has fallen to one sixteenth of its original value. Calculate the half-life of the radioactive nuclide.

A

2 days.

B

4 days.

C

8 days.

D

16 days.

 

 

Q3. Radioactive decay is described as being spontaneous. In this context spontaneous means:

A
 nothing can influence the decay
B
 the decay is random
C
 the decay can be predicted
D
 the decay is exponential

 

Q4. The ionising properties of radiations determine their penetration power.

A
 α-particles are not very ionising so they are easily stopped by a thin sheet of paper.
B
 α-particles are very ionising so they only travel a few centimetres in air
C
 γ-radiation can easily penetrate a sheet of card because it is very ionising
D
 γ-radiation is not very penetrating because it is very ionising

 

Q5. Protactinium has a half life of 70s. A sample of protactinium is prepared and monitored over a period of time. Which of the following statements is correct?

A
After 140s the activity will be zero.
B
The activity of the sample will have dropped to 25% of its initial value after 140s.
C
The activity of the sample will have dropped to 12.5% of its initial value after 280s.
D
The activity of the protactinium will never become zero.

 

Q6. Which of the following does not contribute to background radiation?

A
 Mobile (or cell) phones
B
 Rocks
C
 Decaying biological matter
D
 Living creatures

 

Q7. A radioactive source is placed 2.0 cm from a detector. The count rate decreases slightly if a sheet of paper is inserted between the source and the detector. It is reduced to background radiation level if the sheet of paper is replaced by a 1.0 cm thick sheet of aluminium.

Deduce what forms of radiation the source emits:

A
 Alpha radiation only
B
 Alpha and beta radiation.
C
 Beta and gamma radiation.
D
 Gamma radiation only.

 

Q8. Before carrying out a radioactivity experiment it is necessary to carry out a background radiation count (so that you can calculate the background count rate). The value of that count is not affected by:

A
 The location of the experiment.
B
 The ambient temperature.
C
 The time interval used for the count.
D
 The type of detector used.

 

Q9. Within a school laboratory you should always handle radioactive sources with long handled tongs and keep the time of use to a minimum. Choose from the choices below which form of radiation this safety advice most applies to, and for which reason.
Type of Radiation
Reason
A
α-particles
It is the most ionising
B
α-particles
It is the most massive
C
β-particles
It can penetrate up to a metre of air
D
β-particles
It can penetrate the skin and enter the body

 

Q10. Some rocks contain lead as a product of radioactive decay. Via one such decay chain a fixed quantity of polonium decays to a stable isotope of lead.

Which sketch graph best shows the number of lead atoms (N) in the sample as time progresses?

 

Q11. The sodium isotope is a radioactive isotope that can be produced by bombarding the aluminium isotope with neutrons.

Which line, A to D, in the table below correctly represents the production of from the aluminium isotopeand its subsequent decay?

 
Production
Decay
A  +     +    +  +
B  +     +    +  +
C  +     +    +  +
D  +     +    +  +

 

Q12. Artificial radioactive nuclides are manufactured by placing naturally-occurring nuclides in a nuclear reactor. They are made radioactive in the reactor as a consequence of bombardment by:

A
 gamma rays
B
 β particles.
C
 protons
D
 neutrons.

 

Q13. A nucleus of a particular element decays, emitting a series of α and β– particles.

Which of the following series of emissions would result in an isotope of the original element?

A
1 α and 1 β–
B
1 α and 2 β–
C
2 α and 1 β–
D
2 α and 2 β–

 

Q14. A Geiger counter is placed near a radioactive source and different materials are placed between the source and the Geiger counter. The results of the tests are shown in the table.

Material
Count rate of Geiger counter / s–1
None
1000
Paper
1000
Aluminium foil
250
Thick steel
50

 

What is the radiation emitted by the source?

A
α only
B
α and γ
C
α and β
D
β and γ

 

Q15. Nobelium-259 has a half-life of 3500 s.

What is the decay constant of nobelium-259?

A
8.7 × 10−5 s−1
B
2.0 × 10−4 s−1
C
1.7 × 10−2 s−1
D
1.2 × 10−2 s−1

 

Q16. A pure sample of nuclide X containing N nuclei has an activity A.

The half-life of X is 6000 years.

A pure sample of nuclide Y containing 3N nuclei has an activity 6A.

What is the half-life of nuclide Y?

A
1000 years
B
3000 years
C
12 000 years
D
18 000 years

 

Q17. Cobalt-60 has a half-life of 5.27 years.

What is the total activity of 1.0 g of cobalt-60?

A
4.2 × 1013 Bq
B
2.2 × 1014 Bq
C
2.5 × 1015 Bq
D
1.3 × 1021 Bq

 

Q18. When a nucleus of the radioactive isotope decays, a β- particle and an electron antineutrino are emitted.

How many protons and neutrons are there in the resulting daughter nucleus?

 
Number of protons
Number of neutrons
A
28
65
B
29
65
C
29
36
D
30
35