One isotope of uranium is U-235 - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2017 - Paper 1
Question 5
One isotope of uranium is U-235.
The nucleus can be represented as 23592U.
Complete the following sentence.
A nucleus of U-235 contains _______________ protons an... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:One isotope of uranium is U-235 - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2017 - Paper 1
Step 1
Complete the following sentence.
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Answer
A nucleus of U-235 contains 92 protons and 143 neutrons.
Step 2
Tick (✓) two lines that are correct for an alpha particle.
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Answer
The correct lines for an alpha particle are:
is two protons and two neutrons
has a positive charge
Step 3
Describe the ionising and penetrating abilities of alpha particles.
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Answer
Alpha particles are known for their strong ionising abilities. They can produce many ions or pairs of ions in a short distance, typically within a few centimeters.
However, alpha particles have weak penetrating abilities. They can be stopped by a sheet of paper and have a limited range of travel, usually not penetrating more than a few centimeters of air.