Photo AI
This question is about radioactivity - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 6 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 6
This question is about radioactivity. (a) Alpha (α), beta (β) and gamma (γ) are three types of radioactive emissions. Which statement describes all of these radioa... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:This question is about radioactivity - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 6 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which statement describes all of these radioactive emissions?
Answer
The correct answer is B: ionising and emitted by unstable nuclei.
This is because alpha and beta emissions are ionising radiation, which results from the decay of unstable nuclei. Gamma radiation, while neutral, is also emitted during the decay of unstable isotopes. Therefore, the options A, C, and D are incorrect because they either refer to stable nuclei or mistakenly classify all emissions as neutral.
Step 2
Describe one similarity and one difference between the numbers of particles in one nucleus of fluorine-19 and one nucleus of a radioactive isotope of fluorine.
Answer
Similarity: Both fluorine-19 and any radioactive isotope of fluorine will have the same number of protons, which is 9. This gives them the same atomic number, as they are both isotopes of fluorine.
Difference: The difference lies in their number of neutrons. Fluorine-19 has 10 neutrons (19 total nucleons - 9 protons), while a radioactive isotope of fluorine, such as fluorine-18, would have 9 neutrons (18 total nucleons - 9 protons), resulting in different mass numbers.