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
\[ {}^{13}_{6}C \text{ and } {}^{14}_{6}C \]
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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
Complete the table for an atom of carbon-13 and an atom of carbon-14.
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Answer
number of neutrons in the nucleus
number of electrons in orbit around the nucleus
carbon-13
7
6
carbon-14
8
6
Step 2
State the name of an instrument that can be used to measure radioactivity.
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Answer
Geiger counter.
Step 3
State two sources of background radiation.
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Answer
Natural sources such as cosmic rays and radon gas; human-made sources such as medical x-rays.
Step 4
Determine the age of the piece of wood.
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Answer
Age of wood = 11 400 years.
Step 5
Explain what the information in Figure 5 and Figure 6 shows about the structure of an atom.
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Answer
The experiment shows that most of the mass of an atom is concentrated in a small, dense nucleus, as evidenced by the majority of alpha particles passing straight through the foil, indicating a large amount of empty space. The observations at position P, where many particles were detected, suggest that the nucleus has a positive charge that repels alpha particles, leading to a small number detected at position R.
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