Physics Paper 1

• What is an atom? An atom is the smallest piece of an element that can exist.
• Where is most of the mass found in an atom? In the nucleus
• What is the overall charge of the nucleus of an atom? Positive (+1)
• How are the electrons in an atom arranged? An atom's electrons are arranged at different distances from the nucleus (different energy levels).
• What is the mass number? protons + neutrons
• What is the atomic number? Number of protons
• What is an isotope? An isotope is an element that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons
• Who discovered the nucleus? Ernest Rutherford
• What was the Plum Pudding Model? It was a model created in 1897 by J.J Thompson which showed how the electrons are embedded in a sea of positive charge. A ball of positive charge with negative electrons embedded inside it.
• Who discovered electrons? J.J Thompson
• What was the Rutherford Model? The Rutherford Model of 1911 saw the atom as a miniature solar system, with electrons orbiting around a nucleus containing neutrons/protons and the nucleus occupying a very small part of the atom.
• What was the Gold Foil Experiment? In 1909, scientists in Rutherford's lab fired a beam of alpha particles at a sheet of thin gold foil.
• What was the expected outcome of the alpha scattering experiment? They expected the particles to pass straight through the sheet, or only be slightly deflected.
• What really happened as a result of the gold foil experiment? Most of the particles did go straight through but some were deflected more than expected and a few were deflected back the way they had come. The scientists realised that most of the mass must be concentrated in the nucleus.
• What did they discover as a result of the alpha particle experiment? 1) The mass of an atom was concentrated in the tiny nucleus 2) This nucleus must have a positive charge, since it repelled the positive alpha particles 3) Most of an atom is just empty space
• What does the Bohr Model show? The Bohr Model 1913 showed that electrons move in orbits of fixed size and energy
• What did James Chadwick discover? Neturons
• How did James Chadwick make a discovery? He bombarded beryllium atoms with alpha particles which caused an unknown radiation. He interpreted this as being composed of particles with a neutral electrical charge and the around the mass of a proton.
• What are ions? Ions are charged particles that form when an atom either loses or gains electrons
• When are positive ions created? When an atom loses electrons
• What does the number of protons in an atom determine? Which element it is
• What is the most common isotope of hydrogen? Protium (1 proton and 0 neutrons)
• How does an electron move to a higher energy level? An electron can move to a higher energy level by absorbing electromagnetic radiation
• How does an electron move to a lower energy level? An electron can move to a lower energy level by emitting electromagnetic radiation
• What is radioactive decay? An unstable nucleus can become more stable over time by randomly emitting ionising radiation.
• What is the radius of an atom? 1 × 10 -10
• What is alpha radiation? Alpha radiation is when an alpha particle is emitted from the nucleus. An alpha particle consists of 2 neutrons and 2 protons (helium nucleus)
• What is the range of an alpha particle? They don't penetrate very far into materials and are stopped quickly - they can only travel between 5-11 cm and are absorbed by a sheet of paper.
• Order in the most ionising: beta, gamma, alpha Alpha, Beta, Gamma
• What is alpha radiation most commonly used in today? In smoke detectors - it ionises air particles causing a current to flow. If there is smoke in the air, it binds to the ions making the current stop and the alarm sound.
• What is a beta particle? A high-speed electron released by the nucleus
• What is the mass and charge of a beta particle? Beta particles have virtually no mass and a charge of -1
• What happens for every beta particle emitted? A neutron in the nucleus is turned into a proton
• What is the range and ionising power of a beta particle? Beta particles are moderately ionising and can travel a few metres. They are absorbed by a sheet of aluminium (around 5mm thick).
• What is beta radiation used for? Beta radiation is used to test the thickness of sheets of metal
• What is a gamma ray? Gamma rays are waves of electromagnetic radiation released by the nucleus in the form of excess energy.
• What is the mass and charge of a gamma ray? Gamma rays have no mass or charge
• What is the range and ionising power of a gamma ray? Gamma rays can travel infinitely through air and are weakly ionising because they tend to pass through rather than collide with atoms. They can be absorbed by thick sheets of lead or concrete.
• What is ionising radiation? Ionising radiation is radiation that knocks electrons off atoms, creating positive ions
• What charge is alpha radiation? Alpha particles are positively charged