N5

RADIATION

Practice Exam Questions Physics

Section 1—Questions
 DATA SHEET

Speed of light in materials Speed of sound in materials

−1
Material Speed in m s Material Speed in m s−1
Air 3·0 × 108 Aluminium 5200
8
Carbon dioxide 3·0 × 10 Air 340
8
Diamond 1·2 × 10 Bone 4100
8
Glass 2·0 × 10 Carbon dioxide 270
Glycerol 2·1 × 108 Glycerol 1900
8
Water 2·3 × 10 Muscle 1600
Steel 5200
Gravitational field strengths Tissue 1500
Water 1500
Gravitational field strength
on the surface in N kg−1 Specific heat capacity of materials
Earth 9·8 Specific heat capacity
Material
Jupiter 23 in J kg−1 °C−1
Mars 3·7
Alcohol 2350
Mercury 3·7
Aluminium 902
Moon 1·6
Copper 386
Neptune 11
Glass 500
Saturn 9·0
Ice 2100
Sun 270
Iron 480
Uranus 8·7
Lead 128
Venus 8·9
Oil 2130
Water 4180
Specific latent heat of fusion of materials
Melting and boiling points of materials
Specific latent heat
Material Melting point Boiling point
of fusion in J kg−1 Material
in °C in °C
Alcohol 0·99 × 105
Alcohol −98 65
Aluminium 3·95 × 105
Aluminium 660 2470
Carbon Dioxide 1·80 × 105
Copper 1077 2567
Copper 2·05 × 105
Glycerol 18 290
Iron 2·67 × 105
Lead 328 1737
Lead 0·25 × 105
Iron 1537 2737
Water 3·34 × 105
Radiation weighting factors
Specific latent heat of vaporisation of materials
Radiation
Type of radiation
Specific latent heat of weighting factor
Material
vaporisation in J kg−1 alpha 20
Alcohol 11·2 × 105 beta 1
5
Carbon Dioxide 3·77 × 10 fast neutrons 10
5
Glycerol 8·30 × 10 gamma 1
5
Turpentine 2·90 × 10 slow neutrons 3
Water 22·6 × 105 X-rays 1

Page two
10. Which row describes alpha (α), beta (β) and gamma (γ) radiations?

α β γ
A helium nucleus electromagnetic radiation electron from the nucleus

B helium nucleus electron from the nucleus electromagnetic radiation

C electron from the nucleus helium nucleus electromagnetic radiation

D electromagnetic radiation helium nucleus electron from the nucleus

E electromagnetic radiation electron from the nucleus helium nucleus

11. A sample of tissue is irradiated using a radioactive source.

A student makes the following statements about the sample.
I The equivalent dose received by the sample is reduced by shielding the sample with a
lead screen.
II The equivalent dose received by the sample is increased as the distance from the
source to the sample is increased.
III The equivalent dose received by the sample is increased by increasing the time of
exposure of the sample to the radiation.
Which of these statements is/are correct?

A I only
B II only
C I and II only
D II and III only
E I and III only

12. The half-life of a radioactive source is 64 years.

In 2 hours, 1∙44 x 108 radioactive nuclei in the source decay.
What is the activity of the source in Bq?

A 2 x 104
B 4 x 104
C 1∙2 x 106
D 2∙25 x 106
E 7∙2 x 107
13. A student makes the following statements about the fission process in a nuclear power
station.
I Electrons are used to bombard a uranium nucleus.
II Heat is produced.
III The neutrons released can cause other nuclei to undergo fission.
Which of these statements is/are correct?

A I only
B II only
C III only
D I and II only
E II and III only

9. Alpha radiation ionises an atom.

Which statement describes what happens to the atom?

A The atom splits in half.

B The atom releases a neutron.
C The atom becomes positively charged.
D The atom gives out gamma radiation.
E The atom releases heat.

12. For a particular radioactive source, 240 atoms decay in 1 minute.

The activity of this source is

A 4 Bq
B 180 Bq
C 240 Bq
D 300 Bq
E 14 400 Bq.
10. A sample of tissue is irradiated using a radioactive source.
A student makes the following statements.
The equivalent dose received by the tissue is
I reduced by shielding the tissue with a lead screen
II increased as the distance from the source to the tissue is increased
III increased by increasing the time of exposure of the tissue to the radiation.
Which of the statements is/are correct?

A I only
B II only
C I and II only
D II and III only
E I and III only

11. A sample of tissue receives an absorbed dose of 16 µGy from alpha particles.
The radiation weighting factor for alpha particles is 20.
The equivalent dose received by the sample is

A 0·80 µSv
B 1·25 µSv
C 4 µSv
D 36 µSv
E 320 µSv.

13. The letters X, Y and Z represent missing words from the following passage.
During a nuclear X reaction two nuclei of smaller mass number combine to produce
a nucleus of larger mass number. During a nuclear Y reaction a nucleus of larger
mass number splits into two nuclei of smaller mass number. Both of these reactions are
important because these processes can release Z .
Which row in the table shows the missing words?

X Y Z

A fusion fission electrons

B fission fusion energy

C fusion fission protons

D fission fusion protons

E fusion fission energy

12. Which row in the table shows how the mass and charge of an alpha particle compares to the
mass and charge of a beta particle?

Mass of an alpha particle compared to Charge on an alpha particle compared to

mass of a beta particle charge on a beta particle

A larger same

B larger opposite

C same same

D smaller opposite

E smaller same

13. During ionisation an atom becomes a positive ion.

Which of the following has been removed from the atom?

A An alpha particle
B An electron
C A gamma ray
D A neutron
E A proton

13. A sample of tissue is exposed to 15 µGy of alpha radiation and 20 µGy of gamma radiation.
The total equivalent dose received by the tissue is

A 35 µSv
B 320 µSv
C 415 µSv
D 700 µSv
E 735 µSv.
N5
RADIATION

Practice Questions Physics

Section 2
 MARKS DO NOT
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6. A technician carries out an experiment, using the apparatus shown, to THIS
MARGIN
determine the half-life of a radioactive source.

radioactive Geiger-Müller counter stopclock

source tube

(a) State what is meant by the term half-life. 1

(b) The technician displays the data obtained from the experiment in the
graph below.

100
corrected count rate
(counts per minute)

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
time (minutes)
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6. (b) (continued) THIS
MARGIN

(i) Describe how the apparatus could be used to obtain the

experimental data required to produce this graph. 3

(ii) Use information from the graph to determine the half-life of the
radioactive source. 1

(iii) Determine the corrected count rate after 40 minutes. 2

Space for working and answer

Total marks 7
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8. An airport worker passes suitcases through an X-ray machine. THIS
MARGIN

(a) The worker has a mass of 80·0 kg and on a particular day absorbs
7·2 mJ of energy from the X-ray machine.
(i) Calculate the absorbed dose received by the worker. 3
Space for working and answer

(ii) Calculate the equivalent dose received by the worker. 3

Space for working and answer
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8. (continued) THIS
MARGIN

(b) X-rays can cause ionisation.

Explain what is meant by ionisation. 1

Total marks 7
6. A paper mill uses a radioactive source in a system to monitor the thickness
of paper. MArKS DO NOT
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THIS
radioactive MARGIN

source
rollers

paper

700
Geiger-Müller
counter tube

Radiation passing through the paper is detected by the Geiger-Müller tube.

The count rate is displayed on the counter as shown. The radioactive source
has a half-life that allows the system to run continuously.

(a) State what happens to the count rate if the thickness of the paper
decreases. 1

(b) The following radioactive sources are available.

Radioactive Source Half-life Radiation emitted

W 600 years alpha

X 50 years beta

Y 4 hours beta

Z 350 years gamma

(i) State which radioactive source should be used.

You must explain your answer. 3
 MArKS DO NOT
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6. (b) (continued) MARGIN

(ii) State what is meant by the term half-life. 1

(iii) State what is meant by a gamma ray. 1

(c) The graph below shows how the activity of another radioactive source
varies with time.

activity (kBq) 1000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
time (hours)

Determine the half-life of this radioactive source. 1

[Turn over
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7. A spacecraft uses a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) as a power
source.

RTG

The RTG transforms the heat released by the radioactive decay of

plutonium–238 into electrical energy.

(a) In 15 minutes, 7·92 × 1018 nuclei of plutonium-238 decay.

Calculate the activity of the plutonium-238. 3
Space for working and answer

(b) Each decay produces heat that is transformed into 4·49 × 10−14 J of
electrical energy.
Determine the power output of the RTG. 2
Space for working and answer
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7. (continued)

(c) Plutonium-238 emits alpha radiation.

Explain why a source that emits alpha radiation requires less shielding
than a source that emits gamma radiation. 1
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8. During medical testing a beta source is used to irradiate a sample of tissue of
mass 0·50 kg from a distance of 0·10 m.
The sample absorbs 9·6 × 10−5 J of energy from the beta source.

beta
source

tissue
sample

(a) (i) Calculate the absorbed dose received by the sample. 3

Space for working and answer

(ii) Calculate the equivalent dose received by the sample. 3

Space for working and answer
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8. (continued)

(b) The beta source used during testing has a half-life of 36 hours.
The initial activity of the beta source is 12 kBq.
Determine the activity of the source 144 hours later. 3
Space for working and answer
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5. Alpha, beta and gamma are types of nuclear radiation, which have a range of
properties and effects.
Using your knowledge of physics, comment on the similarities and/or
differences between these types of nuclear radiation. 3
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6. A technician uses the apparatus shown to investigate the effect of shielding
gamma radiation with lead.

ratemeter Geiger-Müller lead gamma

tube absorber source

Gamma radiation passing through a lead absorber is detected by a Geiger-

Müller tube. The count rate is displayed on the ratemeter.
The count rates for a range of different thicknesses of lead absorber are
recorded.
Using these results the technician produces a graph of corrected count rate
against thickness of lead absorber as shown.

700
corrected count rate (counts per minute)

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
thickness of lead absorber (mm)

(a) State what additional measurement the technician must have made in
order to determine the corrected count rate. 1
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6. (continued)

(b) The half-value thickness of a material is the thickness of material

required to reduce the corrected count rate from a source by half.
(i) Using the graph, determine the half-value thickness of lead for this
source of gamma radiation. 1

(ii) Determine the thickness of lead required to reduce the corrected

count rate to one eighth of its initial value. 2
Space for working and answer

(iii) The technician suggests repeating the experiment with aluminium

absorbers instead of lead absorbers.
Predict how the half-value thickness of aluminium would compare
to the half-value thickness of lead for this source. 1

(c) When working with the radioactive source the technician is exposed to
an equivalent dose rate of 2·5 × 10−6 Sv h−1.
The annual equivalent dose limit for the technician is 20 mSv.
Calculate the maximum number of hours the technician may work with
this source without exceeding this limit. 3
Space for working and answer
N5 Physics
Relationships Sheet
E p = mgh d = vt

Ek = 12 mv 2 v = fλ

Q = It 1
T=
f
V = IR
N
A=
RT = R1 + R2 + ... t

1 1 1 E
= + + ... D=
RT R1 R2 m

 R2  H = DwR
V2 =   Vs
R
 1 + R 2 • H
H=
t
V1 R1
=
V2 R2 s = vt

E d =vt
P=
t
s= vt
P = IV
v −u
2 a=
P=I R t

V2 W = mg
P=
R
F = ma
E h = cm ∆ T
E w = Fd
F
p= E h = ml
A

pV
= constant
T

p1V1 = p 2V 2

p1 p 2
=
T1 T2

V1 V 2
=
T1 T2

Page two
Additional Relationships

Circle

circumference = 2πr

area = πr 2

Sphere

area = 4πr 2

volume = 4
3
πr 3

Trigonometry
opposite
sin ϴ =
hypotenuse

adjacent
cos ϴ =
hypotenuse

opposite
tan ϴ =
adjacent

sin2 ϴ + cos2 ϴ = 1

Page three
 Electron Arrangements of Elements
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 0
(1) (18)
1 Key 2
H Atomic number He
1 Symbol 2
(13) (14) (15) (16) (17)
Hydrogen (2) Helium
Electron arrangement
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be Name B C N O F Ne
2,1 2,2 2,3 2,4 2,5 2,6 2,7 2,8
Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg Transition Elements Al Si P S Cl Ar
2,8,1 2,8,2 2,8,3 2,8,4 2,8,5 2,8,6 2,8,7 2,8,8
Sodium Magnesium (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
2,8,8,1 2,8,8,2 2,8,9,2 2,8,10,2 2,8,11,2 2,8,13,1 2,8,13,2 2,8,14,2 2,8,15,2 2,8,16,2 2,8,18,1 2,8,18,2 2,8,18,3 2,8,18,4 2,8,18,5 2,8,18,6 2,8,18,7 2,8,18,8
Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton

Page four
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
2,8,18,8,1 2,8,18,8,2 2,8,18,9,2 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18,13, 2,8,18,13, 2,8,18,15, 2,8,18,16, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18,
10,2 12,1 1 2 1 1 18,0 18,1 18,2 18,3 18,4 18,5 18,6 18,7 18,8
Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon
55 56 57 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
2,8,18,18, 2,8,18,18, 2,8,18,18, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18,
8,1 8,2 9,2 10,2 32,11,2 12,2 13,2 14,2 15,2 17,1 32,18,1 32,18,2 32,18,3 32,18,4 32,18,5 32,18,6 32,18,7 32,18,8
Caesium Barium Lanthanum Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon
87 88 89 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112
Fr Ra Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn
2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32,
18,8,1 18,8,2 18,9,2 32,10,2 32,11,2 32,12,2 32,13,2 32,14,2 32,15,2 32,17,1 32,18,1 32,18,2
Francium Radium Actinium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
Lanthanides 2,8,18, 2,8,18, 2,8,18,21, 2,8,18,22, 2,8,18,23, 2,8,18,24, 2,8,18,25, 2,8,18,25, 2,8,18,27, 2,8,18,28, 2,8,18,29, 2,8,18,30, 2,8,18,31, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32,
18,9,2 20,8,2 8,2 8,2 8,2 8,2 8,2 9,2 8,2 8,2 8,2 8,2 8,2 8,2 9,2
Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
Actinides 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32, 2,8,18,32,
18,9,2 18,10,2 20,9,2 21,9,2 22,9,2 24,8,2 25,8,2 25,9,2 27,8,2 28,8,2 29,8,2 30,8,2 31,8,2 32,8,2 32,9,2
Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium