Particles & Quantum

• What are the three constituents of an atom?

  Protons, neutrons, and electrons
• What is the nucleus of an atom formed of?

  Protons and neutrons
• What are nucleons?

  Protons and neutrons
• How do electrons orbit the nucleus?

  In shells
• What properties of particles can be described in SI and relative units?

  • Charge (C)
  • Relative Charge
  • Mass (kg)
  • Relative Mass
  • Specific Charge (Ckg^-1)
• What is the charge of a proton in coulombs?

  +1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C
• What is the mass of a proton in kilograms?

  1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg
• What is the specific charge of a proton?

  9.58 × 10⁷ Ckg⁻¹
• What is the charge of a neutron?

  0
• What is the mass of a neutron in kilograms?

  1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg
• What is the charge of an electron?

  −1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C
• What is the mass of an electron in kilograms?

  9.11 × 10⁻³¹ kg
• How is specific charge calculated?

  Charge divided by mass

  
• What does the proton number (Z) represent?

  Number of protons in an atom
• What does the nucleon number (A) represent?

  Number of protons and neutrons
• What are isotopes?

  Atoms with the same protons, different neutrons
• What is carbon-14 used for?

  Carbon dating of organic materials
• What is the strong nuclear force (SNF)?

  Force that stabilizes the nucleus
• What does the strong nuclear force counteract?

  Electrostatic force of repulsion
• What is the range of the strong nuclear force?

  Short range, attractive up to 3 fm
• What happens to unstable nuclei?

  They decay to become stable
• What causes alpha decay?

  Too many protons and neutrons
• What occurs during alpha decay?

  • Proton number decreases by 2
  • Nucleon number decreases by 4
• What causes beta-minus decay?

  Neutron-rich nuclei
• What occurs during beta-minus decay?

  • Proton number increases by 1
  • Nucleon number stays the same
• What was hypothesized to account for energy conservation in beta decay?

  Neutrinos
• What is an antiparticle?

  Particle with opposite properties
• What is the antiparticle of an electron?

  Positron
• What are photons?

  Packets of electromagnetic radiation
• How is the energy of photons related to frequency?

  Directly proportional
• What is the equation for photon energy?

  E = hf
• What is the Planck constant?

  6 × 10⁻³⁴ Js
• What happens during annihilation?

  Particle and antiparticle collide
• What is produced during annihilation?

  Two photons moving in opposite directions

  
• How is annihilation used in medical imaging?

  In PET scanners for 3D imaging
• What is pair production?

  Photon converted into matter and antimatter
• What is required for pair production to occur?

  Photon energy greater than rest energy
• What are the four fundamental forces?

  • Gravity
  • Electromagnetic
  • Weak nuclear
  • Strong nuclear
• What causes forces between particles?

  Exchange particles
• What are the exchange particles for each fundamental force?

  • Strong: Gluon
  • Weak: W boson
  • Electromagnetic: Virtual photon
  • Gravity: Graviton (not specified)