Physical Science
Nuclear Science and Modern Materials flashcards
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- What is atomic number?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- Number of protons.
- What is mass number?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- Total number of protons and neutrons.
- What are isotopes?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- Atoms with the same proton number but different neutron numbers.
- How many neutrons are in carbon-14?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- Eight.
- What is an alpha particle?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- A helium-4 nucleus.
- How does alpha decay change A and Z?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- A decreases by 4 and Z by 2.
- How does beta-minus change Z?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- It increases by 1 while A stays fixed.
- Does gamma emission change A or Z?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- No.
- What does becquerel measure?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- One nuclear decay per second.
- What does gray measure?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- Absorbed energy per kilogram.
- What does sievert represent?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- A weighted radiation dose quantity.
- Is irradiation identical to contamination?Radioactivity and Nuclear Changes
- No.
- What is half-life?Half-Life and Evidence
- Time for half of a large radioactive population to decay on average.
- What is the remaining fraction after two half-lives?Half-Life and Evidence
- One quarter.
- What is the remaining fraction after three half-lives?Half-Life and Evidence
- One eighth.
- Does each nucleus decay on a schedule?Half-Life and Evidence
- No; decay is probabilistic.
- What fraction corresponds to two half-lives?Half-Life and Evidence
- One quarter.
- Why does contamination matter in dating?Half-Life and Evidence
- It can add or remove measured isotopes.
- Why select a suitable isotope?Half-Life and Evidence
- Half-life and sample material must fit the time range.
- What does a closed system assumption mean?Half-Life and Evidence
- Relevant isotopes have not been exchanged unexpectedly.
- What is background count?Half-Life and Evidence
- Events detected without the target sample.
- How do you estimate net sample count?Half-Life and Evidence
- Subtract comparable background count from total count.
- Why repeat radioactive counts?Half-Life and Evidence
- Counts fluctuate statistically.
- What plot shape often models undecayed parent population?Half-Life and Evidence
- Exponential decrease.
- What is nuclear binding energy?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Energy needed to separate a nucleus into nucleons in the model.
- What is mass defect?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Difference between bound and separated constituent rest masses.
- What does E = mc² relate?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Mass and energy.
- Is total energy created by fission?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- No, energy is conserved.
- What is fission?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Splitting of a heavy nucleus into smaller nuclei.
- What is a chain reaction?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Further fissions caused by emitted particles in a suitable system.
- What spins a generator in a common thermal power plant?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- A turbine driven by heated fluid or steam.
- What must happen to spent nuclear fuel?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- It requires managed storage and disposal.
- What is fusion?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Combining light nuclei into heavier nuclei.
- What powers the Sun?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Nuclear fusion chains.
- What is net electricity?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- Electric output after system inputs and losses are considered.
- Is every fusion design radiation free?Fission, Fusion, and Energy
- No.
- What is a composite?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- A material combining constituents to achieve useful properties.
- Can processing alter properties?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- Yes, by changing microstructure.
- What helps metals conduct?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- Mobile delocalized electrons in a simple model.
- What must material selection specify?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- A use and measurable constraints.
- What is efficiency?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- Useful energy output divided by energy input.
- What does 60 J out from 100 J in imply?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- 60% efficiency.
- Is energy destroyed by a machine?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- No; it is transferred or transformed.
- What is a functional unit?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- A common service amount for a fair comparison.
- What is a controlled variable?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- A factor kept consistent across comparisons.
- Why repeat trials?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- To assess variation and improve confidence.
- What makes a claim evidence based?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- Measured observations linked to a sound model.
- What is a limitation?Materials Design and Course Synthesis
- A condition restricting how broadly a result can be used.