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Carbon-13 and carbon-14 are isotopes of carbon - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 6 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 6
Carbon-13 and carbon-14 are isotopes of carbon. Nuclei of carbon-13 and carbon-14 can be represented by these symbols \[^{13}_{6}C\] and \[^{14}_{6}C\] Complete the... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Carbon-13 and carbon-14 are isotopes of carbon - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 6 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Step 2
Step 4
Determine the age of the piece of wood.
Answer
To determine the age of the wood, we first calculate the number of half-lives that have occurred. The initial amount is 1,000,000 and it decreases to 125,000.
To find the ratio: [ \frac{1 000 000}{125 000} = 8 ] Each half-life reduces the amount by half, so we can express this as [ 2^n = 8 \Rightarrow n = 3 ] Now, we multiply the number of half-lives by the half-life period: [ 3 \times 5700 = 17100 \text{ years} ]
The age of the piece of wood = 17100 years.
Step 5
Explain what the information in Figure 5 and Figure 6 shows about the structure of an atom.
Answer
The data in Figure 5 indicates that a beam of alpha particles was directed at a thin gold foil, and some particles were detected in various positions around the foil:
- The majority of alpha particles passed straight through, suggesting that the atom is mostly empty space.
- A small number of particles were deflected, indicating a positive, dense nucleus at the center of the atom which repels the positively charged alpha particles.
- The pattern of detection demonstrates that atoms consist of a central nucleus with electrons orbiting around it, providing evidence for the nuclear model of the atom.