Nuclear Physics 1

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NUCLEAR PHYSICS
Contents
Topic Page No.
Theory 01 - 02
Exercise - 1 03 - 08
Exercise - 4 23
Answer Key 24 - 26
Syllabus
Aotmic nucleus ; Alpha, beta and gamma radiations ; Law of radioactive
decay ; Decay constant ; Half-life and mean life ; Binding energy and its
calculation ; Fission and fusion processes ; Energy calculation in these
processes.
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NUCLEAR PHYSICS
1. NUCLEAR DIMENSIONS :
R = Ro A1/3 Where Ro = is an empirical constant = 1.1 × 1015 m ;A = Mass number of the atom
2. RADIOACTIVITY :
The phenomenon of self emission of radiation is called radioactivity and the substances which emit these
radiations are called radioactive substances . It can be natural or artificial (induced) .
3.  ,  ,  RADIATION :
(i)   particle :
(a) Helium nucleus (2He4) ; (b) energy varies from 4 Mev to 9 Mev ;
(c) Velocity 106  107 m/s ; (d) low penetration
(ii)  particle : (a) electron or positron

(b) Have much less energy ; (c) more penetration ; (d) higher velocities than particles
(iii)  radiation : Electromagnetic waves of very high energy and maximum penetration.
4. LAWS OF RADIOACTIVE DISINTEGRATION :

(A) DISPLACEMENT LAW : In all radioactive transformation either an or particle(never both or more than
one of each simultaneously) is emitted by the nucleus of the atom.
(i)  emission : zXA  z  2Y

A4 + 4 + Energy
2
(ii)  emission : zXA  + z + 1Y

A +  (antinuetrino)
(iii)  emission : emission does not affect either the charge number or
the mass number .
(B) STASTISTICAL LAW : The disintegration is a random phenomenon . Which atom disintegrates first is
purely a matter of chance .
Number of nuclei disintegrating per second is given ;
(disintegrations /gm is called specific activity) .
dN dN
(i) N   N = activity .
dt dt
Where N = Number of nuclei present at time t ;  = decay constant
(ii) N = No e t ; N0 = number of nuclei present in the beginning .
0.693
(iii) Half life of the population T1/2 = ;

No
at the end of n halflife periods the number of nuclei left N = .
2n
life time of all atoms 1

(iv) MEAN LIFE OF AN ATOM = ; Tav =
total number of atoms 
(v) CURIE : The unit of activity of any radioactive substance in which the number of disintegration
per second is 3.7 ×1010 .
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5. ATOMIC MASS UNIT ( a.m.u. OR U) :
1
1 amu = × (mass of carbon  12 atom) = 1.6603 × 1027 kg
12
6. MASS AND ENERGY :

The mass m of a particle is equivalent to an energy given by E = mc2 ;
c = speed of light . 1 amu = 931 Mev
7. MASS DEFECT AND BINDING ENERGY OF A NUCLEUS :

The nucleus is less massive than its constituents . The difference of masses is called mass defect .
M = mass defect = [ Zmp + (A  Z) mn]  MzA .
Total energy required to be given to the nucleus to tear apart the individual nucleons composing
the nucleus , away from each other and beyond the range of interaction forces is called the Binding
Energy of a nucleus .
B.E. = (M)C2 .
B.E. per nucleon =

  M C 2 .
A
Greater the B.E. per nucleon, greater is the stability of the nucleus .
8. NUCLEAR FISSION :
(i) Heavy nuclei of A , above 200 , break up into two or more fragments of comparable masses.
(ii) The total B.E. increases and excess energy is released .
(iii) The man point of the fission energy is liberated in the form of the K.E. of the fission fragments
235
. eg. 92
U o n1  236
92
U141
56
Ba  92
36
Kr 3o n1 + energy
9. NUCLEAR FUSION ( Thermo nuclear reaction) :

(i) Light nuclei of A below 20 , fuse together , the B.E. per nucleon increases and hence the excess energy is
released .
(ii) These reactions take place at ultra high temperature (  107K to 109K)
(iii) Energy released exceeds the energy liberated in the fission of heavy nuclei .
eg . 411 P  24 He  2 01e . (Positron)

(iv) The energy released in fusion is specified by specifying Q value .
i.e. Q value of reaction = energy released in a reaction .
Note : (i) In emission of  , Atomic number (Z) increases by 1 .

(ii) In emission of + , Atomic number (Z) decreases by 1 .
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PART - I : OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
* Marked Questions are having more than one correct option.
SECTION (A) : PROPERTIES OF NUCLEUS , MASS DEFECT AND BINDING ENERGY

A-1. Two nucleons are at a separation of 1 fm. The net force between them is F1 if both are neutrons , F2 if
both are protons, and F3 if one is a proton and the other is a neutron :
(A) F1 > F2 > F3 (B) F2 > F1 > F3 (C) F1 = F3 > F2 (D) F1 = F2 > F3
A-2. Let u be denote one atomic mass unit. One atom of an element of mass number A has mass exactly equal
to Au
(A) for any value of A (B) only for A = 1
(C) only for A = 12 (D) for any value of A provided the atom is stable
4 7 12 14
A-3. The binding energies of the nuclei of 2 He, 3 Li, 6 C & 7 N are 28, 52, 90, 98 Mev respectively. Which of
these is most stable .
(A) 4 7 12 14
2 He (B) 3 Li (C) 6 C (D) 7 N
A-4. The surface area of a nucleus varies with mass number A as

(A) A2/3 (B) A1/3 (C) A (D) None
A-5. Consider the nuclear reaction

X200  A110 + B90
If the binding energy per nucleon for X, A and B is 7.4 MeV, 8.2. MeV and 8.2 MeV respectively, what is the
energy released ?
(A) 200 MeV (B) 160 MeV (C) 110 MeV (D) 90 MeV
SECTION (B) : RADIOACTIVE DECAY & DISPLACEMENT LAW
B-1.* If a nucleus A
Z
x emits an  particle & a  particle in succession, then the daughter nucleus will have which
of the following configurations?
(A) A  4 nucleons (B) 4 nucleons (C) A  z  3 neutrons (D) Z  2 protons
B-2. A free neutron decays into a proton , an electron and :

(A) a neutrino (B) an antineutrino (C) an -particle (D) a  -particle
B-3. When a  -particle is emitted from a nucleus, the neutron-proton ratio :

(A) is decreased (B) is increased (C) remains the same (D) first (A) then (B)
226
B-4. The number of  and emitted during the radioactive decay chain starting from 88 Ra and ending at
206
82 Pb is
(A) 3 & 6 (B) 4 & 5 (C) 5 & 4 (D) 6 & 6
B-5. In which of the following process the number of protons in the nucleus increases .
(A)  decay (B)   decay (C)  +  decay (D) k  capture
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B-6. In a nuclear reaction which of the following conservation is valid?

(A) Charge conservation (B) Energy-mass conservation
(C) Momentum conservation (D) All of above
B-7. Nucleus A is converted into C through the following reactions-

A  B +  [alpha - particle]
–
B  C +  [electron]
Then -
(A) A and C are isobars (B) A and B are isotopes
(C) A and C are isotopes (D) A and B are isobars
B-8. A certain radioactive nuclide of mass number m x disintegrates, with the emission of an electron and
an antineutrino only , to give second nuclide of mass number m y . Which one of the following equation
correctly relates m x and m y ?
(A) m y = m x + 1 (B) m y = m x – 2 (C) m y = m x – 1 (D) m y = m x
B-9. A radioactive nucleus emits an -particle and a neutron simultaneously with same speed but in opposite
direction in order to form a stable nuclei If the speed of emitted particles is v and A is the mass number
of radioactive nucleus, then speed of stable nucleus is
3v 2v 4v 2v
(A) A  5 (B) A  5 (C) A  5 (D) A  5
B-10. Nuclei X decay into nuclei Y by emitting  particles. Energies of  particle are found to be only 1 MeV
& 1.4 MeV. Disregarding the recoil of nuclei Y. The energy of  photon emitted will be
(A) 0.8 MeV (B) 1.4 MeV (C) 1 MeV (D) 0.4 MeV
SECTION (C) : STATISTICAL LAW OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY
C-1. The half-life of a radioactive substance depends upon :

(A) its temperature
(B) the external pressure on it
(C) the mass of the substance
(D) the strength of the nuclear force between the nucleons of its atom
th
 1
C-2. The radioactivity of certain radioactive element drops to   of its initial value in 30 second, its half
8
life is
(A)15 second (B) 5 second (C) 4 second (D) 10 second
C-3. (i) A sample of radioactive material has mass m , decay constant  , and molecular weight M. Avogadro
constant = NA. The initial acitvity of the sample is :
m m N A
(A)  m (B) (C) (D) mNAe
M M
(ii) In above question , the activity of the sample after time t will be :
 mN A  – t  mN A  – t  mN A  – t m
(A)  M  e (B)  M  e (C)  M  e (D) (1  e – t )
      
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C-4. In one average-life

(A) half the active nuclei decay (B) less than half the active nuclei decay
(C) more than half the active nuclei decay (D) all the nuclei decay
T
C-5. The half life of a radioactive material is T, then the fraction of radioactive nuclei remain after time is
2
1 3 1 2 1
(A) (B) (C) (D)
2 4 2 2
C-6. At time t = 0, some radioactive gas is injected into a sealed vessel. At time T, some more of the same
gas is injected into the same vessel.
Which one of the following graphs best represents the variation of the logarithm of the activity A of the
gas with time t ?
lnA lnA
(A) (B) (C) (D)

T t
T t
C-7. Two radioactive elements X and Y have half-life times of 50 minutes and 100 minutes , respectively .
Samples X and Y initially contain equal numbers of atoms . After 200 minutes, the ratio
number of undecayed atoms of X is :
number of undecayed atoms of Y
(A) 4 (B) 2 (C) 1/2 (D) 1/4
 2
C-8. A  B 
 C
t=0 N0 0 0
t N1 N2 N3
The ratio of N1 to N2 when N2 is maximum is :
(A) at no time this is possible (B) 2
n 2
(C) 1/2 (D)
2
C-9. A radioactive substance is being produced at a constant rate a per second. Its decay constant is b. If
N0 are the number of nuclei at time t = 0, then the maximum number of nuclei possible are (N0 < a/b)
a a b
(A) (B) N 0  (C) N0 (D) N0 +
b b a
C-10. A radioactive nuclide can decay simultaneously by two different processes which have decay constants 1
and 2. The effective decay constant of the nuclide is , then :
1 1 1
(A)  = 1 + 2 (B)  = 1/2(1 + 1) (C)   (D)  = 1 2
 1  2
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C-11. The graph represents the decay of a newly-prepared sample of radioactive nuclide X to a stable nuclide
Y. The half-life of X is t. The growth curve for Y intersects the decay curve for X after time T.
What is the time T ?

(A) t/2 (B) n(t/2) (C) t (D) n(2t)
C-12. The radioactivity of an old sample of whisky due to tritium (half life 12.5 years) was found to be only
about 3 % of that measured in a recently purchased bottle marked ‘7 years old’. The sample must
have been prepared about :
(A) 70 years ago (B) 220 years ago (C) 420 years ago (D) 300 years ago
SECTION (D) : NUCLEAR FISSION AND FUSION
D-1. In the fission of U-235, the percentage of mass converted into energy is about :
(A) 0.01 % (B) 0.1 % (C) 1 % (D) 10 %
D-2. The neutrons produced in the chain reaction of U235 are in-
(A) Arithmetic progression (B) Harmonic progression
(C) Geometric progression (D) None of these
D-3. Choose the statement which is true.

(A) The energy released per unit mass is more in fission than in fusion
(B) The energy released per atom is more in fusion than in fission.
(C) The energy released per unit mass is more in fusion and that per atom is more in fission.
(D) Both fission and fusion produce same amount of energy per atom as well as per unit mass.
D-4. Fusion reaction is possible at high temperature because -

(A) atoms are ionised at high temperature
(B) molecules break-up at high temperature
(C) nuclei break-up at high temperature
(D) kinetic energy is high enough to overcome repulsion between nuclei.
D-5. Choose the WRONG statement . A thermonuclear fusion reactor is better than a fission reactor for the
following reasons :
(A) For the same mass of substances involved , a fusion reaction releases much more energy than
a fission reaction
(B) A fusion reaction can be much more easily controlled than a fission reaction
(C) A fusion reaction produces almost no radioactive waste
(D) The fuel required for fusion is readily available in abundance from sea-water
D-6. If each fission in a U235 nucleus releases 200 MeV, how many fissions must occurs per second to produce
a power of 1 KW
(A) 1.325 × 1013 (B) 3.125 × 1013 (C) 1.235 × 1013 (D) 2.135 × 1013
D-7. Assuming that about 20 MeV of energy is released per fusion reaction, 1H2 + 1H3  0n1 + 2He4, the
mass of 1H2 consumed per day in a future fusion reactor of power 1 MW would be approximately
(A) 0.09 gm (B) 0.009 gm (C) 9 gm (D) 90 gm
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PART - II : MISLLANEOUS QUESTIONS
1. COMPREHENSION
COMPREHENSION # 1
Rutherford's calculations used the inverse-square law of repulsive force between an -particle (Z = 2)
and a gold nucleus (Z = 79) ignoring multiple scattering. The scattering angle  of the -particle is
related to the impact parameter b through the relation
Ze2 cot( / 2)
b= .
40E
Where E is the kinetic energy of the incident -particle. The impact parameter b is the perpendicular
distance of the initial velocity vector of the -particle at different angles.
1. For impact parameter (b = 0) scattering angle will be :

(A)  = 00 (B)  =  (C)  = /2 (D) None of these
2. For a given impact parameter b, with increasing energy the angle of deflection :
(A) increases (B) decreases
(C) remains constant (D) None of these
3. If scattering angle is 90º, for z = 79 and initial energy is 10 MeV, then impact parameter will be :
(A) 1.1 × 10–16 m (B) 1.1 × 0–14 m (C) 2.2 × 10–18 (D) 2.2 × 10–9 m
COMPREHENSION # 2
When radioactivity was discovered, only three kind of radioactive decays  ,  and  were known. In
the later years two more kinds of radioactive decay were discovered. According to the Pauli in  -
decay process along with emission of electron or positron another particle are also emitted called
neutrino and antinutrino. The mass and charge on both the particles are zero and spin of both are 1/2
h
in the unit of . Spin of neutrino is antiparallel to its momentum where as spin of antinutrino is
2
parallel to its momentum. The neutrino hypothesis saves the principles of energy conservation and
angular momentum conservation in  -decay..
+
4. In which equation X-represent 
(A) 6 C 14  7 N 14  X  v (B) 29 Cu 64  28 Ni 64  X  v
(C) 29 Cu 64     28 Ni 64  X (D) 92 U 238  90Th 234  X
5. Which of the following decay is accompanied by x-ray

(A)  -decay (B) position - emission (C) Electron capture (D) Gamma decay
6. Choose the correct option

(A) Electron energy of  -particle vary from zero to a maximum for a particular nuclide
(B) The direction of emitted electrons and the recoiling nuclei are exactly opposite.
(C) Neutrino hypothesis violets the principle of conservation of angular momentum.
(D) none of these
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2. MATCH THE COLUMN
7. In the following question x (an unstable nucleus) decays to another nucleus y. In column I different type
of decay processes are mentioned. Atomic mass of element of nucleus x and element of nucleus y are
Mx and My respectively. The atomic mass of He is MHe. The mass of electron is m e. Now match the
entries of column I with II.
Column I Column II
(Decay process) (Mass defect)
(A) x  y +  (p) Mx – My – m e
(B) x  y + –1e0 (q) Mx – My – MHe
(C) x  y + +1e 0 (r) Mx – My – 2m e
(D) x + –1e0  y +  + X- rays (s) Mx – My
8. In column-I, consider each process just before and just after it occurs. Initial system is isolated
from all other bodies. Consider all product particles (even those having rest mass zero) in the
system. Match the system in column-I with the result they produce in column-II.
Column I Column II
(A) Spontaneous radioactive decay of an (p) Number of protons is increased
uranium nucleus initially at rest
238 234
as given by reaction 92 U  90Th  42 He  ...
(B) Fusion reaction of two hydrogen nuclei (q) Momentum is conserved
1 1 2
as given by reaction 1H  1H  1H  .....
(C) Fission of U235 nucleus initiated by a (r) Mass is converted to energy
thermal neutron as given by reaction or vice versa
1 235 144 89
0n  92 U  56 Ba  36Kr  310 n  ...
(D)  –
decay (negative beta decay) (s) Charge is conserved
3. TRUE/FALSE :
9. (i) The order of magnitude of the density of nuclear matter is 104 kg/m3
(ii) Mass defect per nucleon in the nucleus is called packing fraction.
(iii) Consider -particle, -particles and -rays each having an energy of 0.5 MeV. In increasing order of
penetrating powers, the radiations are , ,  .
(iv )In pair production a high energy gamma ray, while passing through the strong electric field of a nucleus,
gives rise to a particle and its antiparticle.
(v)The energy released per nucleon in fission is less than that released in fusion.
4. FILL IN THE BLANKS :
10. (i) The yield of U235 from any natural uranium sample is not greater than ........................ percent.
(ii) When nitrogen nucleus 7N14 is bombarded by -particle, proton is emitted. The resulting nucleus is
of the element ........................ and has the mass number ........................
(iii) The difference between 92U235 and 92U238 is that 92U238 contains three more ........................ and fission
of 92U238 is caused by ........................ neutrons while fission of 92U235 is caused by ........................
neutrons.
(iv) The binding energies per nucleon for deuteron (1H2) and helium (2He4) are 1.1 MeV and 7.0 MeV
respectively. The energy released when two deuterons fuse to form a helium nucleus (2He4) is ........
(v) In the nuclear process, 6C11  5B11 +  + + X, X stands for ............
(vi) A reaction between a proton and 8O18 that produced 9F18 must also liberate ........................
(vii) The equation 41H1 2He4 + 2e– + 26 MeV represents ........................
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PART - I : MIXED OBJECTIVE
SINGLE CORRECT ANSWER TYPE
1. Alpha particles are fired at a nucleus . Which of the paths shown in figure is not possible ?
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4
2. Masses of two isobars 29Cu64 and 30Zn64 are 63.9298 units and 63.9292 units respectively. It can be concluded
from this data that
(A) both isobars are stable
(B) Zn64 is radioactive decaying to Cu64 through   -decay
(C) Cu64 is radioactive decaying to Zn64 through -decay
(D) Cu64 is radioactive decaying to Zn64 through  -decay
3. A nucleus ruptures into two nuclear parts which have their velocity ratio equal to 2 : 1. What will be the
ratio of their nuclear sizes-
(A) 21/3 : 1 (B) 1 : 21/3 (C) 31/2 : 1 (D) 1 : 31/2
4. The graph (fig.) shows the number of particles Nt emitted per second by a radioactive source as a function
of time t
(A) N t 1000e  20 t s  (B) N t  20e 20 t s 
(C) N t  3e  0.05t / s  (D) N t  20e  0.05t / s 
5. The graph of log (R/R0) versus A (R = radius of a nucleus and A = mass number) is
(A) a circle (B) an ellipse (C) a parabola (D) a straight line
6. 90% of a radioactive sample is left undecayed after time t has elapsed. What percentage of the initialsample
will decay in a total time 2t:
(A) 20% (B) 19% (C) 40% (D) 38%
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7. Let a neutron hits a nucleus producing 5 neutrons. Assuming that all neutrons hit nuclei, without fail, what
will be the number of neutrons produced after their nth hit?
(A) 5n–1 (B) 5n (C) n × 5 (D) n5
8. Protons and singly ionized atoms of U235 & U238 are passed in turn (which means one after the other
and not at the same time) through a velocity selector and then enter a uniform magnetic field. The
protons describe semicircles of radius 10 mm. The separation between the ions of U235 and U238 after
describing semicircle is given by
U-238 U-235 p
(A) 60 mm (B) 30 mm (C) 2350 mm (D) 2380 mm
9. A free neutron decays to a proton but a free proton does not decay to a neutron. This is because
(A) neutron is a composite particle made of a proton and an electron whereas proton is fundamental particle
(B) neutron is an uncharged particle whereas proton is a charged particle
(C) neutron has larger rest mass than the proton
(D) weak forces can operate in a neutron but not in a proton.
10. The activity of a sample of radioactive material is A1 at time t1 and A2 at time t2 (t2 > t1). Its mean
life is T then which relation is correct :
A1  A2
(A) A1t1 = A2t2 (B) t2  t1 = constant (C) A2 = A1 e(t1 t 2 /T ) (D) A2 = A1 e(t1/Tt 2 )
11. The half-life of radioactive Radon is 3.8 days. The time at the end of which (1/20)th of the Radon sample will
remain undecayed is : (given log10 e = 0.4343)
(A) 13.8 days (B) 16.5 days
(C) 53 days (D) 76 days
12. A radioactive isotope is being produced at a constant rate A. The isotope has a half-life T. After a time t > >
T, the number of nuclei become constant. The value of this constant is :
AT A
(A) (B) AT. n 2 (C) n 2 (D) AT
n2 T
 1 2 
13. A  B 
 C
t=0 N0 0 0
t N1 N2 N3
In the above radioactive decay C is stable nucleus. Then:

(A) rate of decay of A will first increase and then decrease
(B) number of nuclei of B will first increase and then decrease
(C) if 2 > 1, then activity of B will always be higher than activity of A
(D) if 1 >> 2, then number of nucleus of C will always be less than number of nucleus of B.
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14. A fraction f1 of a radioactive sample decays in one mean life, and a fraction f2 decays in one halflife.
(A) f1 > f2
(B) f1 < f2
(C) f1 = f2
(D) May be (A), (B) or (C) depending on the values of the mean life and half life
R2
15. Activity of a radioactive substance is R1 at time t1 and R2 at time t2(t2 > t1). Then the ratio
R1 is :
t2  t1  t 2 
(A)
t1 (B) e   ( t1  t 2 ) (C) e 
  
 (D) e  ( t1  t 2 )
16. N atoms of a radioactive element emit n alpha particles per second at an instant. Then the half - life of
the element is : (one alpha particle from one nucleus)
n n n N
(A) sec. (B) 1.44 sec. (C) 0.69 sec. (D) 0.69 sec.
N N N n
17. The activity of a sample reduces from A0 to A0 / 3 in one hour. The activity after 3 more hours will be
A0 A0 A0 A0
(A) (B) (C) (D)
3 3 9 9 3 27
18. Radio carbon dating is done by estimating in the specimen :

(A) the amount of ordinary carbon still present
(B) the amount of radio carbon still present
(C) the ratio of the amounts of 146C to 126C still present
(D) none of the above
MULTIPLE CORRECT ANSWER(S) TYPE QUESTIONS
19. A nitrogen nucleus 7N14 absorbs a neutron and can transform into lithium nucleus 3Li7 under suitable conditions,
after emitting :
(A) 4 protons and 3 neutrons
(B) 2 alpha particles and 2 gamma particles
(C) 1 alpha particle, 4 protons and 2 negative beta particles and 2 antineutrino
(D) 4 protons and 4 neutrons
20. For the graph shown in Figure, which of the following statements is/are possible ?
(A) y-axis shows number of nuclei of a radioactive element which is produced at a constant rate
(B) y-axis represents number of nuclei decayed in a radio nuclide
(C) y-axis represents activity of a radionuclide
(D) None of these
21. 235
92U is  (alpha) active. Then in a large quantity of element :
(A) the probability of a nucleus disintegrating during one second is lower in the first half life and greater in the
fifth half life
(B) the probability of a nucleus disintegrating during one second remains constant for all time
(C) quite an appreciable quantity of U235 will remain, even after the average life.
(D) the energy of the emitted ‘’ particle is less than the disintegration energy of the U235 nucleus
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22. During radioactive decay -

(A) atomic mass number cannot increase (B) atomic number may increase
(C) atomic number may decrease (D) atomic number may remain unchanged
23. A large population of radioactive nucleus starts disintegrating at t = 0. At time t, if N = number of parent nuclei
present, D = the number of daughter nuclie present and R = rate at which the daughter nuclie are produced,
then the correct representation will be :
(A) (B)
(C) (D)
24. Let m p be the mass of a proton, m n the mass of a neutron, M1 the mass of a 20
10
Ne nucleus & M2 the
mass of a 40
20
Ca nucleus. Then (B.E. per nucleons is more for Ca than Ne)
(A) M2 = 2 M1 (B) M2 > 2 M1 (C) M2 < 2 M1 (D) M1 < 10 (m n + m p)
25. The heavier stable nuclei tend to have larger N/Z ratio because -
(A) a neutron is heavier than a proton
(B) a neutron is an unstable particle
(C) a neutron does not exert electric repulsion
(D) Coulomb forces have longer range compared to nuclear forces
PART - II : SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
1. A radioactive decay counter is switched on at t = 0. A - active sample is present near the counter. The
counter registers the number of  - particles emitted by the sample. The counter registers 64 × 105
 - particles at t = 36 s and 1 × 105  - particles at t = 108 s.The T½ of this sample is (10 + x ) sec . Find x .
2. A wooden piece of great antiquity weighs 50 gm and shows C14 activity of 320 disintegrations per minute. The
length of the time (in year) which has elapsed since this wood was part of living tree is 5.196 × 10x find x ?,
assuming that living plants show a C14 activity of 12 disintegrations per minute per gm. The half life of C14 is
5730 yrs.
3. U238 decays with a half life of 4.5 × 109 yrs, the decay series eventually ending at Pb206, which is stable.
A rock sample analysis shows that the ratio of the numbers of atoms of Pb206 to U238 is 0.5. Assuming
that all the Pb206 has been produced by the decay of U238 and that all other half lives in the chain are
negligible. Calculate the age of the rock sample.
4. A radioactive isotope is being produced at a constant rate dN/dt = R in an experiment .The isotope has
a half-life t1/2. Show that after a time t >> t1/2, the number of active nuclei will become constant. Find the
value of this constant. Suppose the production of the radioactive isotope starts at t = 0. Find the
number of active nuclei at time t.
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5. U238 and U235 occur in nature in an atomic ratio 140 : 1. Assuming that at the time of earth’s formation
the two isotopes were present in equal amounts. Calculate the age of the earth.
(Half life of U238 = 4.5 × 109 yrs & that of U235 = 7.13 × 108 yrs)
6. The kinetic energy of an -particle which flies out of the nucleus of a Ra226 atom in radioactive disintegration
is 4.78 MeV. Find the total energy evolved during the escape of the -particle.
7. Knowing the decay constant  of a substance, find the probability of decay of a nucleus during the time
from 0 to t.
8. A neutron star has a density equal to that of the nuclear matter(  3 × 1017 kg/m 3). Assuming the star to
be spherical, find the radius of a neutron star whose mass is (i) 4.0 × 10 30 kg (twice the mass of the
sun) (ii) 6 × 1024 Kg (around mass of the earth).
9. Find the energy required for separation of a 10Ne20 nucleus into two  particles and a 6C12 nucleus
if it is known that the binding energies per nucleon in 10Ne20, 2He4 and 6C12 nuclei are equal to 8.03,
7.07 and 7.68 MeV respectively.
10. The kinetic energy of an   particle which flies out of the nucleus of a Ra226 atom in radioactive
disintegration is 4.78 MeV. Find the total energy evolved during the escape of the  particle.
11. Beta decay of a free neutron takes place with a half life of 14 minutes. Then find (a) decay constant (b)
energy liberated in the process.
12. Energy evolved from the fusion reaction 2 21H = 42He  Q is to be used for the production of power..
Assuming the efficiency of the process to be 30 %. Find the mass of deuterium that will be consumed
in a second for an output of 50 MW.
PART-I IIT-JEE (PREVIOUS YEARS PROBLEMS)
1. The half-life period of a radioactive element X is same as the mean-life time of another radioactive
element Y. Initially both of them have the same number of atoms. Then: [ JEE 1999, 2/200 ]
(A) X and Y have the same decay rate initially (B) X and Y decay at the same rate always
(C) Y will decay at a faster rate than X (D) X will decay at a faster rate than Y
2. The order of magnitude of density of uranium nucleus is, (mp = 1.67 × 10–27 kg) : [ JEE 1999, 2/200 ]
(A) 1020 kg m–3 (B) 1017 kg m–3 (C) 1014 kg m–3 (D) 1011 kg m–3
22
3. Ne nucleus, after absorbing energy, decays into two -particles and an unknown nucleus. The unknown
nucleus is : [ JEE 1999, 2/200 ]
(A) Nitrogen (B) Carbon (C) Boron (D) Oxygen
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4. Two radioactive materials X 1 and X 2 have decay constants 10 and  respectively. If initially they have
the same number of nuclei, then the ratio of the number of nuclei of X 1 to that of X 2 will be 1/e after a
time. [ JEE 1999, 2/200 ]
(A) 1/(10) (B) 1/(11) (C) 11/(10) (D) 1/(9)
5. Which of the followings is a correct statement ?

(A) beta rays are same as cathode rays.
(B) gamma rays are high energy neutrons.
(C) alpha particles are singly-ionized helium atoms.
(D) protons and neutrons have exactly the same mass. [ JEE 1999, 2/200 ]
6. The half-life of radioactive Polonium (Po) is 138.6 days. For ten lakh Polonium atoms, the number of
disintegrations in 24 hours is - [REE - 1999]
(A) 2000 (B) 3000 (C) 4000 (D) 5000
7. Binding energy per nucleon vs. mass number curve for nuclei is shown in the figure. W, X, Y and Z are
four nuclei indicated on the curve. The process that would release energy is :
(A) Y  2Z (B) W  X + Z
(C) W  2Y (D) X  Y + Z [ JEE 1999, 2/200 ]
8. A radioactive sample consists of two distinct species having equal number of atoms initially. The mean
life time of one species is  and that of the other is 5. The decay products in both cases are stable. A
plot is made of total number of radioactive nuclei as a function of time. Which of the following figures
best represents the form of this plot? [ JEE 2001, 1/35 ]
(A) (B) (C) (D)
9. In a nuclear reactor 235U undergoes fission liberating 200 MeV of energy. The reactor has a 10% efficiency
and produces 1000 MW power. If the reactor is to function for 10 years, find the total mass of uranium
required. [ JEE 2001, 5/100 ]
10. A nucleus at rest undergoes a decay emitting an -particle of de-Broglie wavelength,  = 5.76 × 10–15 m. If the
mass of the daughter nucleus is 223.610 a.m.u. and that of the -particle is 4.002 a.m.u., determine the total
kinetic energy in the final state. Hence, obtain the mass of the parent nucleus in a.m.u.
(1 a.m.u. = 931.470 MeV/c2) [ JEE (Main) 2001, 5/100 ]
11. A radioactive nucleus X decays to a nucleus Y with a decay constant X = 0.1 sec–1. Y further decays to a
stable nucleus Z with a decay constant Y = 1/30 sec–1. Initially, there are only X nuclei and their number is
N0 = 1020. Set up the rate equations for the populations of X, Y and Z. The population of the Y nucleus as a
N0  X  Y t
function of time is given by NY (t) =    e  e  X t . Find the time at which NY is maximum and

X Y
determine the population X and Z at that instant. [ JEE (Main) 2001, 5/100 ]
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12. (I) Which of the following processes represents a gamma decay?

(A) AX Z +   AX Z  1 + a + b (B) AX Z + 1n0  A  3X Z  2 + c
A A
(C) XZ  XZ + f (D) AX Z + e1  AX Z  1 + g
(II) The half life of 215 At is 100 s. The time taken for the radioactivity of a sample of
215Atto decay to 1/16th of its initial value is : [ JEE 2002 (Screening) 2  3, –1 = 6/90 ]
(A) 400 s (B) 6.3 s (C) 40 s (D) 300 s
13. A nucleus with mass number 220 initially at rest emits an -particle. If the Q value of the reaction is 5.5
MeV, calculate the kinetic energy of the -particle [ JEE 2003 (Screening) 3,–1/84 ]
(A) 4.4 MeV (B) 5.4 MeV (C) 5.6 MeV (D) 6.5 MeV
14. For uranium nucleus how does its mass vary with volume? [ JEE 2003 (Screening) 3,–1/84 ]
(A) m  V (B) m  1/V (C) m  V (D) m  V2
15. A radioactive material decays by -particle emission. During the first 2 seconds of a measurement, n -
particles are emitted and the next 2 seconds 0.75 n -particles are emitted. Calculate the mean-life of this
material in seconds to the nearest whole number. (n 3 = 1.0986 and n 2 = 0.6931).[ JEE 2003 Main) 2/60]
16. A 280 days old sample of a radioactive substance has activity of 6000 dps. In next 140 days activity falls to
3000 dps. Then initial activity of sample would have been [JEE 2004 (Screening) 3, –1/84]
(A) 9000 (B) 24000 (C) 12,000 (D) 18,000
17. The age of a rock containing lead and uranium is equal to 1.5 × 109 yrs. The uranium is decaying into lead
with half life equal to 4.5 × 109 yrs. Find the ratio of lead to uranium present in the rock, assuming initially no
lead was present in the rock. (Given 21/3 = 1.259) [JEE 2004 (Main) 4/60]
18. Helium nuclei combine to form an oxygen nucleus. The energy released in the reaction is if mO = 15.9994
amu and mHe = 4.0026 amu [JEE 2005 (Screening) 3/84]
(A) 10.24 MeV (B) 0 MeV (C) 5.24 MeV (D) 4 MeV
19. Half life of a radio active substance 'A' is 4 days. The probability that a nucleus will decay in two half lives is:
1 3 1
(A) (B) (C) (D) 1 [JEE 2006 3/184]
4 4 2
20. Match the following [JEE 2006 5/184]
Column 1 Column 2
(A) Nuclear fission (p) Converts some matter into energy
(B) Nuclear fusion (q) Possible for nuclei with low atomic number
(C)  - decay (r) Possible for nuclei with high atomic number
(D) Exothermic nuclear reaction (s) Essentially proceeds by weak nuclear forces.
21. In the options given below, let E denote the rest mass energy of a nucleus and n a neutron. The correct
options is : [IIT-JEE 2007' 3/81]
236 137 97 236 137 97
(A) E  92 U  > E  I + E  Y  + 2E(n)
53 39 (B) E  92 U  < E  I + E  Y  + 2E(n)
53 39
236 140 94 236 140 94

(C) E  92 U < E  Ba +  Kr  + 2E(n)
56 36 (D) E  92 U = E  Ba  + E  Kr  + 2E(n)
56 36
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22. Some laws / processes are given in Column . Match these with the physical phenomena given in Column
 and indicate your answer by darkening appropriate bubbles in the 4 × 4 matrix given in the ORS.
[IIT-JEE 2007' 6/81]
Column  Column 
(A) Transition between two atomic energy levels (p) Characteristic X-rays
(B) Electron emission from a material (q) Photoelectric effect
(C) Mosley’s law (r) Hydrogen spectrum
(D) Change of photon energy into kinetic energy (s) -decay
of electrons
23. Assume that the nuclear binding energy per nucleon (B/A) versus mass number (A) is as shown in the figure.
Use this plot to choose the correct choice(s) given below. [JEE 2008, 4/163]
Figure :
B/A
0
100 200 A
(A) Fusion of two nuclei with mass numbers lying in the range of 1 < A < 50 will release energy
(B) Fusion of two nuclei with mass numbers lying in the range of 51 < A < 100 will release energy
(C) Fission of a nucleus lying in the mass range of 100 < A < 200 will release energy when broken into
two equal fragments
(D) Fission of a nucleus lying in the mass range of 200 < A < 260 will release energy when broken into
two equal fragments
24. A radioactive sample S1 having an activity of 5Ci has twice the number of nuclei as another sample S2 which
has an activity of 10Ci. The half lives of S1 and S2 can be [JEE 2008, 3/163]
(A) 20 years and 5 years, respectively (B) 20 years and 10 years, respectively
(C) 10 years each (D) 5 years each
Paragraph for Question Nos. 25 to 27 [JEE 2009, 4/160, –1]

Scientists are working hard to develop nuclear fusion reactor. Nuclei of heavy hydrogen, 12 H , known as
deuteron and denoted by D, can be thought of as a candidate for fusion reactor. The D-D reaction is
2 2
1 H 1 H 32 He  n  energy . In the core of fusion reactor, a gas of heavy hydrogen is fully ionized into
deuteron nuclei and electrons. This collection of 12 H nuclei and electrons is known as plasma. The nuclei
move randomly in the reactor core and occasionally come close enough for nuclear fusion to take place.
Usually, the temperatures in the reactor core are too high and no material wall can be used to confine the
plasma. Special techniques are used which confine the plasma for a time t0 before the particles fly away from
the core. If n is the density (number/volume) of deuterons, the product nt0 is called Lawson number. In one of
the criteria, a reactor is termed successful if Lawson number is greater than 5×1014 s/cm3.
e2
It may be helpful to use the following: Boltzman constant k = 8.6×10 eV/K ;
–5
= 1.44 × 10–9 eVm.
4 0
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25. In the core of nuclear fusion reactor, the gas becomes plasma because of
(A) strong nuclear force acting between the deuterons
(B) Coulomb force acting between the deuterons
(C) Coulomb force acting between deuterons-electrons pairs
(D) the high temperature maintained inside the reactor core
26. Assume that two deuteron nuclei in the core of fusion reactor at temperature T are moving towards each
other, each with kinetic energy 1.5 kT, when the separation between them is large enough to neglect Coulomb
potential energy. Also neglect any interaction from other particles in the core. The minimum temperature T
required for them to reach a separation of 4 × 10–15 m in the range.
(A) 1.0 × 109 K < T < 2.0 × 109 K (B) 2.0 × 109 K < T < 3.0 × 109 K
(C) 3.0 × 109 K < T < 4.0 × 109 K (D) 4.0 × 109 K < T < 5.0 × 109 K
27. Results of calculations for four different designs of a fusion reactor using D-D reaction are given below. Which
of these is most promising based on Lawson criterion ?
(A) deuteron density = 2.0 × 1012 cm–3, confinement time = 5.0 × 10–3 s
(B) deuteron density = 8.0 × 1014 cm–3, confinement time = 9.0 × 10–1 s
(C) deuteron density = 4.0 × 1023 cm–3, confinement time = 1.0 × 10–11 s
(D) deuteron density = 1.0 × 1024 cm–3, confinement time = 4.0 × 10–12 s
28. Column II gives certain systems undergoing a process. Column I suggests changes in some of the
parameters related to the system. Match the statements in Column-I to the appropriate process(es) from
Column II. [JEE 2009,8/160]
Column–I Column–II
(A) The energy of the system is increased. (p) System: A capacitor, initially uncharged
Process: It is connected to a battery.
(B) Mechanical energy is provided to the system, (q) System: A gas in an adiabatic container fitted with
which is converted into energy of random motion an adiabatic piston
of its parts Process: The gas is compressed by pushing the

piston
(C) Internal energy of the system is converted (r) System: A gas in a rigid container
into its mechanical energy Process: The gas gets cooled due to colder
atmosphere surrounding it
(D) Mass of the system is decreased (s) System: A heavy nucleus, initially at rest
Process: The nucleus fissions into two fragments of

nearly equal masses and some neutrons are emitted
(t) System: A resistive wire loop
Process: The loop is placed in a time varying

magnetic field perpendicular to its plane
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dN( t ) dN( t )
29. To determine the half life of a radioactive element, a student plots a graph of n versus t. Here
dt dt
is the rate of radioactive decay at time t. If the number of radioactive nuclei of this element decreases by a
factor of p after 4.16 years, the value of p is : [JEE 2010, 3/163]
30. The activity of a freshly prepared radioactive sample is 1010 disintegrations per second, whose mean life is
109s. The mass of an atom of this radioisotope is 10–25 kg. The mass (in mg) of the radioactive sample is :
Paragraph for Questions 31 and 32
The -decay process, discovered around 1900, is basically the decay of a neutron (n). In the
laboratory, a proton (p) and an electron (e–) are observed as the decay products of the neutron. Therefore,
considering the decay of a neutron as a two-body decay process, it was predicted theoretically that the
kinetic energy of the electron should be a constant. But experimentally, it was observed that the electron
kinetic energy has a continuous spectrum. Considering a three-body decay process, i.e. n  p + e– + v e ,
aroung 1930, Puli explained the observed electron energy spectrum. Assuming the anti-neutrino  v e  to be
massless and possessing negligible energy, and the neutron to be rest, momentum and energy conservation
principles are applied. From this calculation, the maximum kinetic energy of the electron is 0.8 × 106 eV. The
kinetic energy carried by the proton is only the recoil energy.
31. What is the maximum the energy of the anti-neutrino ? [JEE 2012 (3, –1)/136]
(A) Zero (B) Much less than 0.8 × 106 eV
(C) Nearly 0.8 × 106 eV (D) Much larger than 0.8 × 106 eV
32. If the anti-neutrino had a mass of 3 eV/c2 (where c is the speed of light) instead of zero mass, what should
be the range of the kinetic energy, K, of the electron ? [JEE 2012 (3, –1)/136]
(A) 0 < K 0.8 × 106 eV (B) 3.0 eV K  0.8 × 106 eV
(C) 3.0 eV K  0.8 × 106 eV (D) 0 K  0.8 × 106 eV
33. A freshly prepared sample of a radioisotope of half-life 1386 s has activity 103 disintegrations per second.
Given that In 2 = 0.693, the fraction of the initial number of nuclei (expressed in nearest integer percentage)
that will decay in the first 80 s after preparation of the sample is : [JEE Advanced (P-1) 2013]
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Paragraph for Questions 34 and 35

A
The mass of a nucleus X is less than the sum of the masses of (A–Z) number of neutrons and Z number
Z
of protons in the nucleus. The energy equivalent to the corresponding mass difference is known as the
binding energy of the nucleus. A heavy nucleus of mass M can break into two light nuclei of masses m1 and
m2 only if (m1 + m2) < M. Also two light nuclei of masses m3 and m4 can undergo complete fusion and form
a heavy nucleus of mass M’ only if (m3 + m4) > M’. The masses of some neutral atoms are given in the table
below : [JEE Advanced (P-2) 2013]
1 2 3 4
1 H 1.007825u 1 H 2.014102 u 1H 3.016050 u 2He 4.002603 u
6 7 70 82
3 Li 6.015123 u 3Li 7.016004 u 30Zn 69.925325 u 34Se 81.916709u
152 206 209 210
64 Gd 151.919803u 82 Pb 205.974455 u 83 Bi 208.980388 u 84 Po 209.982876u
(1 u = 932 MeV/c2)
210
34. The kinetic energy (in keV) of the alpha particle, when the nucleus 84 Po at rest undergoes alpha decay, is:
(A) 5319 (B) 5422 (C) 5707 (D) 5818
35. The correct statement is :
(A) The nucleus 36 Li can emit an alpha particle.
210
(B) The nucleus 84 Po can emit a proton.
(C) Deuteron and alpha particle can undergo complete fusion.
70 82
(D) The nuclei 30 Zn and 34 Se can undergo complete fusion.
36. Match List-I of the nuclear processes with List-II containing parent nucleus and one of the end products of
each process and then select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists :
List-I List-II [JEE Advanced (P-2) 2013]
15 15
P. Alpha decay 1. 8 O 
7 N  ............
238 234
Q.  + decay 2. 92 U 
90 Th  ............
185 184
R. Fission 3. 83 Bi 
82 Pb  ............
239 140
S. Proton emission 4. 94 Pu 
57 La  ............
Codes :
P Q R S
(A) 4 2 1 3
(B) 1 3 2 4
(C) 2 1 4 3
(D) 4 3 2 1
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PART-II AIEEE (PREVIOUS YEARS PROBLEMS)
1. If N0 is the original mass of the substance of half-life period tl/2 = 5 years, then the amount of substance left
after 15 years is : [AIEEE 2002 4/300]
(1) N0 / 8 (2) N0 / 16 (3) N0 / 2 (4) N0 / 4
2. Which of the following radiations has the least wavelength? [AIEEE 2003 4/300]
(1) -rays (2) -rays (3) -rays (4) X-rays
3. When U238 nucleus originally at rest, decays by emitting an alpha particle having a speed u, the recoil speed
of the residual nucleus is : [AIEEE 2003 4/300]
4u 4u 4u 4u
(1) (2) – (3) (4) –
238 234 234 238
4. A radioactive sample at any instant has its disintegration rate 5000 disintegrations per minute. After 5
minutes, the rate is 1250 disintegrations per minute. Then, the decay constant (per minute) is :
[AIEEE 2003 4/300]
(1) 0.4 ln 2 (2) 0.2 ln 2 (3) 0.1 ln 2 (4) 0.8 ln 2
5. A nucleus with Z = 92 emits the following in a sequence : , ,  –,  –, , , , ;  –,  –, ,  +,  +, . The Z of

the resulting nucleus is : [AIEEE 2003 4/300]
(1) 76 (2) 78 (3) 82 (4) 74
6. Which of the following cannot be emitted by radioactive substances during their decay?
[AIEEE 2003 4/300]
(1) Protons (2) Neutrinos (3) Helium nuclei (4) Electrons
7. In the nuclear fusion reaction, [AIEEE 2003 4/300]

2 3 4
1 H 1 H  2 He  n
given that the repulsive potential energy between the two nuclei is ~ 7.7 × 10–14 J, the temperature at which
the gases must be heated to initiate the reaction is nearly [Boltzmann’s constant k = 1.38 × 10–23 J/K]:
(1) 10 7 K (2) 10 5 K (3) 10 3 K (4) 10 9 K
8. A nucleus disintegrates into two nuclear parts which have their velocities in the ratio 2 : 1. The ratio of their
nuclear sizes will be : [AIEEE 2004 4/300]
(1) 21/3 : 1 (2) 1 : 31/2 (3) 31/2 : 1 (4) 1 : 21/3
2 4
9. The binding energy per nucleon of deuteron  H  and helium nucleus 
1 2He  is 1.1 MeV and 7 MeV
respectively. If two deuteron nuclei react to form a single helium nucleus, then the energy released is :
[AIEEE 2004 4/300]
(1) 13.9 MeV (2) 26.9 MeV (3) 23.6 MeV (4) 19.2 MeV
10. An -particle of energy 5 MeV is scattered through 180º by a fixed uranium nucleus. The distance of the
closest approach is of the order of : [AIEEE 2004 4/300]
(1) 1 Å (2) 10–10 cm (3) 10-12 cm (4) 10–15 cm
11. The intensity of gamma radiation from a given source is . On passing through 36 mm of lead, it is reduced to
1/8. The thickness of lead, which will reduce the intensity to 1/2 will be : [AIEEE 2005 4/300]
(1) 6 mm (2) 9 mm (3) 18 mm (4) 12 mm
12. Starting with a sample of pure 66Cu, 7/8 of it decays into Zn in 15 minutes. The corresponding half-life is :
[AIEEE 2005 4/300]
1
(1) 10 minute (2) 15 minute (3) 5 minute (4) 7 minute
2
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27 125
13. If radius of the 13 Al nucleus is estimated to be 3.6 Fermi, then the radius of 52 Te nucleus be nearly :
[AIEEE 2005 4/300]
(1) 6 Fermi (2) 8 Fermi (3) 4 Fermi (4) 5 Fermi
14. A nuclear transformation is denoted by X(n, )  73 Li . Which of the following is the nucleus of element X?
12 10 11
(1) 6 C (2) 5 B (3) 95 B (4) 4 Be [AIEEE 2005 4/300]
15. The energy spectrum of -particles [number N(E) as a function of -energy E] emitted from a radioactive
source is : [AIEEE 2006 3/180, –1]
(1) (2) (3) (4)
16. When 3Li 7 nuclei are bombarded by protons, and the resultant nuclei are 4Be 8 , the emitted particles
will be : [AIEEE 2006 4.5/180]
(1) neutrons (2) alpha particles (3) beta particles (4) gamma photons
17. The ‘rad’ is the correct unit used to report the measurement of [AIEEE 2006 4.5/180]
(1) the rate of decay of radioactive source
(2) the ability of a beam of gamma ray photons to produce ions in a target
(3) the energy delivered by radiation to a target.
(4) the biological effect of radiation
18. If the binding energy per nucleon in 73 Li and 24 He nuclei are 5.60 MeV and 7.06 MeV respectively, then in the
reaction
p  73 Li  224 He
energy of proton must be : [AIEEE 2006 4.5/180]
(1) 39.2 MeV (2) 28.24 MeV (3) 17.28 MeV (4) 1.46 MeV
19. If Mo is the mass of an oxygen isotope 8O17, Mp and MN are the masses of a proton and a neutron respectively,
the nuclear binding energy of the isotope is : [AIEEE 2007]
(1) (Mo – 8MP)C2 (2) (Mo – 8MP – 9MN)C2 (3) MoC2 (4) (Mo – 17MN)C2
20. In gamma ray emission from a nucleus : [AIEEE 2007 3/120, –1]
(1) both the neutron number and the proton number change
(2) there is no change in the proton number and the neutron number
(3) only the neutron number changes
(4) only the proton number changes
21. The half-life period of a radio-active element X is same as the mean life time of another radio-active element
Y. Initially they have the same number of atoms. Then : [AIEEE 2007 3/120, –1]
(1) X will decay faster than Y (2) Y will decay faster than X
(3) X and Y have same decay rate initially (4) X and Y decay at same rate always
22. This question contains Statement-1 and Statement-2. Of the four choices given after the statements, choose
the one that best describes the two statements. [AIEEE 2008 3/105, –1]
Statement-1 : Energy is released when heavy nuclei undergo fission or light nuclei undergo fusion.
and
Statement-2 :
For heavy nuclei, binding energy per nucleon increases with increasing Z while for light nuclei it decreases
with increasing Z.
(1) Statement-1 is true, Statement-2 is true; Statement-2 is a correct explanation for Statement-1
(2) Statment-1 is true, Statement-2 is true; Statement-2 is not a correct explanation for Statement-1
(3) Statement-1 is true, Statement-2 is false
(4) Statement-1 is false, Statement-2 is true
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23.
The above is a plot of binding energy per nucleon Eb, agains the nuclear mass M; A, B, C, D, E, correspond
to different nuclei. Consider four reactions : [AIEEE 2009 4/144]
(i) A + B  C +  (ii) C  A + B +  (iii) D + E F +  and (iv) F  D + E + ,
where  is the energy released? In which reactions is  positive?
(1) (i) and (iii) (2) (ii) and (iv) (3) (ii) and (iii) (4) (i) and (iv)
Directions : Question number 24 – 26 are based on the following paragraph.
M
The nucleus of mass M + m is at rest and decays into two daughter nuclei of equal mass each.. Speed
2
of light is c. [AIEEE 2010 3/144, –1]
24. This binding energy per nucleon for the parent nucleus is E1 and that for the daughter nuclei is E2. Then :
(1) E1 = 2E2 (2) E1 > E2 (3) E2 > E1 (4) E2 = 2E1
25. The speed of daughter nuclei is
m 2m m m
(1) c (2) c (3) c (4) c
M  m M M M  m
26. A radioactive nucleus (initial mass number A and atomic number Z) emits 3 -particles and 2 positrons. The
ratio of number of neutrons to that of protons in the final nucleus will be
A Z8 AZ4 A  Z  12 AZ4

(1) (2) (3) (4)
Z4 Z8 Z4 Z2
27. The half life of a radioactive substance is 20 minutes. The approximate time interval (t2 – t1) between the time
2 1
t2 when of it has decayed an time t1 when of it had decayed is : [AIEEE 2011 3/144, –1]
3 3
(1) 7 min (2) 14 min (3) 20 min (4) 28 min
28. Assume that a neutron breaks into a proton and an electron. The energy released during this process is :
(mass of neutron = 1.6725 × 10–27 kg, Mass of proton = 1.6725 × 10–27 kg, mass of electron = 9 × 10–31kg)
[AIEEE 20012 4/120, –1]
(1) 0.73 MeV (2) 7.10 MeV (3) 6.30 MeV (4) 5.4 MeV
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NCERT QUESTIONS
14
1. Obtain the binding energy of a nitrogen nucleus ( 7N ) from the following data:
m H = 1.00783 u m n = 1.00867 u m N = 14.00307 u
Give your answer in MeV.
2. A given coin has a mass of 3.0 g. Calculate the nuclear energy that would be required to separate all the
neutrons and protons from each other. For simplicity assume that the coin is entirely made of 63
29 Cuatoms
( of mass 62.92960 u ) . The masses of proton and neutron are 1.00783 u and 1.00867 u, respectively.
56 207
3. Obtain the binding energy of the nuclei 26 Fe and 83 Bi in units of MeV from the following data:
56
m H = 1.007825 u m n = 1.008665 u m( 26 Fe) = 55.934939 u
m ( 207
83 Bi ) =208.980388u
Which nucleus has greater binding energy per uncleon ?
4. Write nuclear equations for:
32
(a) the  -decay of 226
88 Ra (b) the  --decay of 15 P
(c) the  decay of 11
6C
60
5. Obtain the amount of 17 Co necessary to provide a radioactive source of 8.0 mCi strength. The half-life
60
of 17 Co is 5.3 years.
23
6. The nucleus 10 Ne decays by  - emission. Write down the  -decay equation and determine the maximum
23
kinetic energy of the electrons emitted. Given that : m( 10 Ne ) = 22.994466 u ; m ( 23
11 Na) = 22.989770 u.
7. The Q value of a nuclear reaction A + b  C + d is defined by Q = [ m A + m b – m C– m d] c 2 Where the

masses refer ot nuclear rest masses. Determine from the given data whether the following reactions
are exothermic or endothermic.
(i) 11 H + 31 H  21 H + 21 H (ii) 126 C + 12
6 C 20
10 Ne + 4
2 He
Atomic masses are given to be
m ( 11 H ) = 1.007825 u m ( 21 H) =2.014102 u m ( 31 H) = 3.016049 u
m ( 126 C ) = 12.000000 u m ( 20
10 Ne) = 19.991439 u m( 42 He) = 4.002603 u
8. The fission properties of 239 235

94 Pu are very simply to those 92 U. The average energy released per fission is
180 MeV. How much energy, in MeV, is released if all the atoms in 1kg of pure 23994 Pu
undergo fission ?
9. In a periodic Table the average atomic mass of mabnesium is gven as 24.312 u. The average value is
24
based on their relative natural abundance on Earth. The three isotopes and their masses are 12 Mg
(23.98504), 25 26
12 Mg ( 24.98584) and 12 Mg ( 52.98259 u). The natural abundance of
24
12 Mg is 78.99% by
mass. Calculate the abundances of the other two isotopes.
10. The neutron separation energy is defined as the energy required to remove a neutron from the nucleus.
41 27
Obtain the enutron separation energies of the nuclei 20 Ca and 13 Al from the following data:
m = 1.008665 u ; m ( 40 41
20 Ca) = 39.962591 u ; m ( 20 Ca ) = 40.962278 u ;
m( 26 27
13 Al = 25.986895 u ; m ( 13 Al ) = 26.981541 u.
32 33
11. A source contains two phosphorous radionunclides 15 P (T 1/2 = 14.3 d ) and 15 P ( T 1/2 = 25.3 d.)
33
Initiallly, 10% of the decays come from 15 P. How long one must wait until 90% do so ?
12. Consider the D-T reaction ( deuterium-tritium fusion) given in Eq. (14.40).
(a) Calculate the energy released in MeV in this reaction from the data;
m ( 21 H) = 2.014102 u ; m ( 31 H) = 3.016049 u ; m ( 42 He) = 4.002603 u ; m n = 1.00867 u
(b) Consider the radius of both deuterium and tritium to be approximately 1.5 fm. What is the kinetic
energy needed to overcome the Coulomb repulsion? To what temperature must the gases be heated to
initiate the reaction ?
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Exercise # 1
PART-I
A-1. (C) A-2. (C) A-3. (B) A-4. (A) A-5. (B) B-1.* (AC) B-2. (B)
B-3. (A) B-4. (C) B-5. (B) B-6. (D) B-7. (C) B-8. (D) B-9. (A)
B-10. (D) C-1. (D) C-2. (D) C-3. (i) (C), (ii) (B) C-4. (C) C-5. (C)
C-6. (B) C-7. (D) C-8. (B) C-9. (A) C-10. (A) C-11. (C) C-12. (A)
D-1. (B) D-2. (C) D-3. (C) D-4. (D) D-5. (B) D-6. (B) D-7. (A)
PART-II
1. (B) 2. (B) 3. (B) 4. (B) 5. (C) 6. (A)
7. A q; B s; C r ; D s 8. (A)  q,r,s (B)  q,r,s (C)  q,r,s (D)  p,q,r,s
9. (i) False, (ii) True, (iii) True, (iv) True, (v) True
10. (i) 0.7, (ii) 7O17, 17, (iii) neutrons, fast, slow, (iv)23.6 MeV,
(v) In the nuclear process, 6C11  5B11 +  + + X, X stands for ............
(vi) 10 n neutron, (vii) nuclear fusion
Exercise # 2
PART-I
1. (C) 2. (D) 3. (B) 4. (D) 5. (D) 6. (B) 7. (B)
8. (A) 9. (C) 10. (C) 11. (B) 12. (A) 13. (B) 14. (A)
15. (D) 6. (D) 17. (B) 18. (C) 19. (BCD) 20. (AB) 21. (BCD)
22. (ABCD)23. (ACD) 24. (CD) 25. (CD)
PART-II
1. x=2 2. x=3 3. 2.63 × 109 years
Rt1/ 2 R
4. ; (1  e  t ) 5. 6.04 × 109 year 6. 4.87 MeV
n2 
1/ 3 1/ 3
 4  10 30 3   6  10 24 3 
7. P = 1  et 8. (i) r1 =  17
  = 14.71 km (ii) r2 =  17
  = 168.4 m
 3  10 4   3  10 4 
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226
9. E = 20 × (8.03) – 2×4 (7.07) – 12(7.68) = 11.9 MeV 10.  4.78 = 4.87 MeV..
222
0.693
11. (a) = 8.25 × 10– 4 s – 1 (b) (m n – m p – m e) 931 = 782 keV
14  60
2 100 (50  10 6 ) 2
12.   –19
  10 3 Kg = 2.9 × 1013 kg ;
Q 30 1.6  10 NA
where Q = (2M 2 –M 4 ) × 931 = 23.834531 MeV

1H 2He
Exercise # 3
PART-I
1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (B) 4. (D) 5. (A) 6. (D) 7. (C)
8. (D) 9. 3.847 × 104 Kg 10. 6.25 MeV, 227.62 a.m.u.
dN X dN Y dN Z
11. (i) = –X NX, = X NX – YNY, =  Y NY , (ii) 16.48 s, (iii) NX = 1.92 × 1019, NZ = 1.32 × 1019
dt dt dt
12. (I) (C), (II) (A) 13. (B) 14. (A) 15. 6.954 sec 16. (B)
17. 0.259 18. (A) 19. (B)
20. (A)  (p) and (r), (B)  (p) and (q), (C)  (p) , (q) , (r) and (s) (D)  (p) , (q) and (r)
21. (A) 22. (A)  (p), (r); (B)  (q), (s); (C)  (p); (D)  (q) 23. (B) & (D)
24. (A) 25. (D) 26. (A) 27. (B) 28. (A) p, q, t ; (B) q, t ; (C) s, (D) s
29. 8 30. 1 31. (C) 32. (D) 33. 4 34. (A) 35. (C)
36. (C)
PART-II
1. (1) 2. (1) 3. (3) 4. (1) 5. (2) 6. (1) 7. (4)
8. (4) 9. (3) 10. (3) 11. (4) 12. (3) 13. (1) 14. (2)
15. (4) 16. (4) 17. (4) 18. (3) 19. (2) 20. (2) 21. (2)
22. (3) 23. (4) 24. (3) 25. (2) 26. (2) 27. (3) 28. (1)
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Exercise # 4
1. 104.7 meV
2. 1.6 × 1025 MeV : 1 gram-mole of a substance contains of 6 × 1023 atoms.
3. 1 u = 1.660565 × 10–27 kg
1 u × c 2  931.5 MeV
Using the formula for binding energy given in Section 14.4, we get
B.E. ( 56
26 Fe ) = 492.26 MeV
B.E. per nucleon = 8.79 MeV
209
B.E. ( 83 Bi ) = 1640.30 MeV
56
26 Fe has greater binding energy per nucleon.
4. 226
88 Ra  222
86 Rn + 24He , 32
15 P  32
16 S + e– + v , 11
6 P  11
5 B + e+ + n
5. 7.1 mg
23 23
6. 10 Ne  + e– + v + Q
11 Na
23 23
Q = [m N( 10 Ne ) – m N( 11 Na ) – m e] c 2
where the neutrino mass has been neglected. Thus,
23 23
Q = [m( 10 Ne ) – 10m e – m( 11 1m e – m e] c 2
Na ) + 11m
23 23
= [m( 10 Ne ) – m( 11 Na )] c 2
= 4.374 MeV
This is the maximum energy of the  – emitted.
7. (i) Q = [m N ( 11H ) + m N( 13 H) – 2m N( 12 H)]c 2

= [m ( 11H ) + m( 13 H) – 2m( 12 H)]c 2
= – 4.03 MeV
(ii) Q = [m N( 126 C ) – m N( 10
20
Ne ) – m N( 24 He )]c2
Reaction (i) is endothermic, while reaction (ii) is exothermic.
8. 4.5 × 1023 MeV

25 26
9. Mg : 9.303%; Mg : 11.71%
A
10. Neutron separation energy Sn of nucleus ZX given by
Sn = [m N( ZA 1 X ) + m N( ZA X )] c 2
From the given data, using c 2 = 931.5 MeV/u, we get
41
Sn = ( 20 Ca ) = 8.36 MeV
27
Sn( 13 Al ) = 13.06 MeV
11. 209 d
2
12. (a) For the process 1H + 13 H  4
2 He +n+Q
Q = [m N( 12 H ) + m N( 13 H ) – m N( 24 He ) – m n] c 2
= [m( 12 H ) + m( 13 H ) – m N( 24 He ) – m n] c 2
= 17.59 MeV
(b) Repulsive potential of two nuclei when they almost touch each other
q2 9  10 9  (1.6  10 19 )
= = J
4 o d 2  1.5  10 15
= 7.68 J
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Name : ____________________________ Contact No. __________________

(ii)  particle : (a) electron or positron

4. LAWS OF RADIOACTIVE DISINTEGRATION :

(i)  emission : zXA  z  2Y

(ii)  emission : zXA  + z + 1Y

life time of all atoms 1

5. ATOMIC MASS UNIT ( a.m.u. OR U) :

6. MASS AND ENERGY :

7. MASS DEFECT AND BINDING ENERGY OF A NUCLEUS :

B.E. per nucleon =

9. NUCLEAR FUSION ( Thermo nuclear reaction) :

eg . 411 P  24 He  2 01e . (Positron)

Note : (i) In emission of  , Atomic number (Z) increases by 1 .

PART - I : OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS

* Marked Questions are having more than one correct option.

SECTION (A) : PROPERTIES OF NUCLEUS , MASS DEFECT AND BINDING ENERGY

A-4. The surface area of a nucleus varies with mass number A as

A-5. Consider the nuclear reaction

SECTION (B) : RADIOACTIVE DECAY & DISPLACEMENT LAW

B-2. A free neutron decays into a proton , an electron and :

B-3. When a  -particle is emitted from a nucleus, the neutron-proton ratio :

B-6. In a nuclear reaction which of the following conservation is valid?

B-7. Nucleus A is converted into C through the following reactions-

SECTION (C) : STATISTICAL LAW OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY

C-1. The half-life of a radioactive substance depends upon :

C-4. In one average-life

(A) (B) (C) (D)

(A) 4 (B) 2 (C) 1/2 (D) 1/4

What is the time T ?

SECTION (D) : NUCLEAR FISSION AND FUSION

D-3. Choose the statement which is true.

D-4. Fusion reaction is possible at high temperature because -

PART - II : MISLLANEOUS QUESTIONS

1. For impact parameter (b = 0) scattering angle will be :

5. Which of the following decay is accompanied by x-ray

6. Choose the correct option

2. MATCH THE COLUMN

4. FILL IN THE BLANKS :

PART - I : MIXED OBJECTIVE

* Marked Questions are having more than one correct option.

SINGLE CORRECT ANSWER TYPE

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4

(A) N t 1000e  20 t s  (B) N t  20e 20 t s 

(C) N t  3e  0.05t / s  (D) N t  20e  0.05t / s 

(A) 60 mm (B) 30 mm (C) 2350 mm (D) 2380 mm

In the above radioactive decay C is stable nucleus. Then:

18. Radio carbon dating is done by estimating in the specimen :

MULTIPLE CORRECT ANSWER(S) TYPE QUESTIONS

22. During radioactive decay -

PART - II : SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS

PART-I IIT-JEE (PREVIOUS YEARS PROBLEMS)

* Marked Questions are having more than one correct option.

5. Which of the followings is a correct statement ?

(A) (B) (C) (D)

12. (I) Which of the following processes represents a gamma decay?

20. Match the following [JEE 2006 5/184]

(A) Nuclear fission (p) Converts some matter into energy

236 140 94 236 140 94

Paragraph for Question Nos. 25 to 27 [JEE 2009, 4/160, –1]

Name : __________ Contact No.