St.
Joseph International School
Winter Holiday Assignment 2025
1 Fluorine-18 ( 189F) decays by beta-plus (β+) emission with a half-life of 110 minutes.
(a) (i) State the name of the beta-plus particle.
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(ii) Show that the decay constant of fluorine-18 is 1.05 × 10–4 s–1.
[1]
(iii) Determine the activity of 2.1 × 10–12 kg of fluorine-18.
activity = .................................................... Bq [3]
(b) A small sample of fluorine-18 injected into the body acts as a tracer for use in medical imaging.
(i) Describe how the interaction of a β+ particle with an electron in the body enables the
formation of an image.
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(ii) Suggest why 110 minutes is a suitable half-life for a nuclide used as a tracer in medical
diagnosis.
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[Total: 10]
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2 (a) Radioactive decay is both random and spontaneous.
(i) State what is meant by random.
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(ii) State what is meant by spontaneous.
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(iii) State one piece of evidence for the random nature of decay.
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(b) (i) Describe the differences between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
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(ii) Explain, with reference to the variation of binding energy per nucleon with nucleon
number, why the processes of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion both result in a release
of energy.
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[Total: 8]
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3 One likely means by which nuclear fusion may be achieved on a practical scale is the D-T reaction.
(a) State what is meant by nuclear fusion.
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(b) In the D-T reaction, a deuterium ( 21H) nucleus fuses with a tritium ( 31H) nucleus to form a
helium-4 ( 42He) nucleus. The nuclear equation for the reaction is
2H + 3H 4He + 1n + energy
1 1 2 0
Some data for this reaction are given in Fig. 9.1.
mass / u
deuterium ( 21H) 2.01356
tritium ( 31H) 3.01551
helium-4 ( 42He) 4.00151
neutron ( 10n) 1.00867
Fig. 9.1
(i) Calculate the energy, in MeV, equivalent to 1.00 u. Explain your working.
energy = ................................................ MeV [3]
(ii) Use data from Fig. 9.1 and your answer in (i) to determine the energy released in this
D-T reaction.
energy = ................................................ MeV [2]
(iii) Suggest why, for the D-T reaction to take place, the temperature of the deuterium and
the tritium must be high.
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4 Plutonium-238 (238
94Pu) is unstable and undergoes alpha decay.
(a) Complete the equation to show the decay of plutonium-238.
238Pu ........ ........
94 U + α
........ ........
[2]
(b) The power source in a space probe contains 0.874 kg of plutonium-238. Each nucleus of
plutonium-238 that decays emits 5.59 MeV of energy. The half-life of plutonium-238 is
87.7 years.
(i) Calculate the initial number No of nuclei of plutonium-238 in the power source.
No = ......................................................... [1]
(ii) Determine the initial activity of the source. Give a unit with your answer.
activity = .................................. unit .................. [2]
(iii) Use your answer in (b)(ii) to determine the initial power output from the source due to
the decay of plutonium-238.
power output = ..................................................... W [2]
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(iv) The space probe will continue to function until the power output from the plutonium in the
source decreases to 65.3% of its initial value.
Calculate the time, in years, for which the space probe will function.
time = ............................................... years [2]
(c) An alternative power source uses energy generated from the radioactive decay of
polonium-210. This isotope has a half-life of 0.378 years. The mass of the isotope needed for
the same initial power output as in (b) is 3.37 g.
Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage of using polonium-210 as the source of
energy.
advantage .................................................................................................................................
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disadvantage ............................................................................................................................
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[2]
[Total: 11]
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5 (a) Explain how redshift leads to the idea that the Universe is expanding.
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(b) Stars in a distant galaxy emit radiation. The total luminosity of the stars in the galaxy is
1.90 × 1036 W.
The emission spectrum of the radiation contains a line X at a wavelength of 658 nm.
Radiation from the galaxy is observed on the Earth. The observed radiation has a radiant flux
intensity of 8.42 × 10–16 W m–2. In the observed emission spectrum, line X is at a wavelength
of 726 nm.
Determine:
(i) the distance d of the galaxy from the Earth
d = ..................................................... m [2]
(ii) the speed v of the galaxy relative to the Earth.
v = ................................................ m s–1 [2]
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(c) Observations of many galaxies, such as the one in (b), lead to many pairs of values of d and
v. Plotting these values reveals a trend.
(i) On Fig. 10.1, sketch the variation of v with d.
0
0
d
Fig. 10.1
[2]
(ii) State the name of the quantity represented by the gradient of the line in Fig. 10.1.
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[Total: 10]
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6 The Sun may be considered as a uniform sphere with a mass of 1.99 × 1030 kg and a surface
temperature of 5780 K.
A probe with a mass of 2.63 kg moves in a straight line towards the Sun.
When it is at a distance x from the centre of the Sun, the probe measures the gravitational field
strength g due to the Sun and the radiant flux intensity F of radiation from the Sun.
(a) Define gravitational field.
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(b) For the position of the probe where x = 1.47 × 1011 m:
(i) calculate g
g = ............................................... N kg–1 [2]
(ii) determine the gravitational potential energy EP of the probe.
EP = ....................................................... J [2]
(c) (i) Show that, for any particular value of x, the numerical values of g and F are related by
4πGM
g= F
L
where M is the mass of the Sun, L is the luminosity of the Sun and G is the
gravitational constant.
[3]
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(ii) Fig. 2.1 shows the variation of g with F.
g / 10–3 N kg–1
0
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
F / 103 W m–2
Fig. 2.1
Determine a value for the luminosity L of the Sun. Give a unit with your answer.
L = .................................... unit ............ [2]
(iii) Use your answer in (c)(ii) to determine the radius r of the Sun.
r = ...................................................... m [2]
[Total: 12]
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7 (a) The Sun has a surface temperature of 5780 K. The luminosity of the Sun is 3.85 × 1026 W.
(i) Calculate the radius of the Sun.
radius = ...................................................... m [2]
(ii) The Earth is a distance of 1.50 × 1011 m from the Sun.
Calculate the radiant flux intensity F of the radiation from the Sun at a distance of
1.50 × 1011 m. Give a unit with your answer.
F = ............................... unit ......................... [2]
(iii) The variation with wavelength of the intensity of radiation emitted from the Sun is shown
in Fig. 10.1.
intensity
0
0
wavelength
Fig. 10.1
Another star has the same radius as the Sun but has a lower surface temperature.
On Fig. 10.1, sketch a line to show the variation with wavelength of the intensity of the
radiation emitted for this star. [2]
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(b) A galaxy in the constellation Corona Borealis is moving away from the Earth.
(i) The visible emission spectrum for the Sun is shown in Fig. 10.2.
350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700
wavelength / nm
Fig. 10.2
The lines are at wavelengths of 397 nm, 410 nm, 434 nm, 486 nm and 656 nm. The
compositions of the Sun and a star in the Corona Borealis galaxy are similar.
On Fig. 10.3, sketch the emission spectrum for the star in the Corona Borealis galaxy as
observed from the Earth. No calculations are required.
350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700
wavelength / nm
Fig. 10.3
[1]
(ii) The galaxy in Corona Borealis is moving away from the Earth at a speed of 21 400 km s–1.
Use information from (b)(i) to calculate, in nm, the observed wavelength of the lowest
visible energy emission for the star in the Corona Borealis galaxy.
wavelength = .................................................... nm [2]
(iii) The wavelength in (b)(ii) is used to calculate a value for the surface temperature of the
star in the Corona Borealis galaxy. The calculation does not give an accurate value.
State and explain whether this value of temperature is too high or too low.
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[Total: 10]
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8 (a) State Hubble’s law. Identify any symbols that you use.
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(b) A star of luminosity 3.8 × 1031 W is a distance of 1.8 × 1024 m from the Earth.
Calculate the radiant flux intensity at the Earth of the radiation emitted by the star.
radiant flux intensity = .............................................. W m–2 [2]
(c) The star in (b) is in a distant galaxy. A spectral line in the light from this galaxy is known to
have a wavelength of 486 nm. This spectral line in the light from the galaxy observed on the
Earth has a wavelength of 492 nm.
(i) Explain why the wavelength observed on the Earth is different from the wavelength that
the galaxy is known to have emitted.
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(ii) Determine a value for the Hubble constant H0.
H0 = ................................................... s–1 [3]
[Total: 9]
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