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Physics Olympiad Nuclei — practice questions

Explore 30 free Nuclei questions in Physics Olympiad Physics. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

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Nuclei questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–30 of 30.

If an atom were blown up to the size of a classroom, the nucleus would be about as big as a:Read the answer and worked solution →Two atoms of one element have the same protons but different masses. They are:Read the answer and worked solution →The number of protons inside a nucleus is given by its:Read the answer and worked solution →The total number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus is called its:Read the answer and worked solution →A single word covering both a proton and a neutron in the nucleus is:Read the answer and worked solution →A gold nucleus holds 197 nucleons of which 79 are protons. Its neutron count is:Read the answer and worked solution →A neutron sitting outside any nucleus is unstable and decays into a proton, an antineutrino and an:Read the answer and worked solution →The mean life of a free neutron before it decays is about:Read the answer and worked solution →Deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, has one proton and how many neutrons?Read the answer and worked solution →Measurements show that nuclear density does not change from one nucleus to another. It is:Read the answer and worked solution →Because their density is the same throughout, nuclei are compared with a drop of:Read the answer and worked solution →The difference between a nucleus mass and the total mass of its free nucleons is the:Read the answer and worked solution →The energy equivalent of the mass defect, needed to split a nucleus apart, is the:Read the answer and worked solution →The binding energy divided by the number of nucleons gives the binding energy:Read the answer and worked solution →For most middle sized nuclei the binding energy per nucleon is roughly:Read the answer and worked solution →The binding energy per nucleon stays nearly constant in the middle range because the nuclear force is:Read the answer and worked solution →Compared with the Coulomb force between charges, the nuclear force is:Read the answer and worked solution →The nuclear force between two protons, two neutrons or a proton and neutron is about:Read the answer and worked solution →Joining light nuclei into a heavier one releases energy. This process is called:Read the answer and worked solution →Radioactivity was discovered in 1896, purely by accident, by:Read the answer and worked solution →One becquerel of activity means exactly one decay in every:Read the answer and worked solution →The time in which a sample of radioactive nuclei falls to half its number is the:Read the answer and worked solution →Catch the nucleus wordsRead the answer and worked solution →Pop the activity unitsRead the answer and worked solution →Run the nuclear gatesRead the answer and worked solution →Slice the nuclear termsRead the answer and worked solution →Fission or fusionRead the answer and worked solution →Sort the nuclear factsRead the answer and worked solution →Type the numberRead the answer and worked solution →Nuclei bingoRead the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

If an atom were blown up to the size of a classroom, the nucleus would be about as big as a:

  1. Pinhead
  2. Football
  3. Blackboard
  4. Schoolbag
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Correct answer: A. Pinhead

1. The nucleus is tiny compared with the whole atom. 2. Scaled to a classroom it shrinks to a speck. 3. That speck is the size of a pinhead. _Source: syllabus Physics Part II, Class XII, Chapter 13, Nuclei._

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Two atoms of one element have the same protons but different masses. They are:

  1. Isomers
  2. Isotopes
  3. Isobars
  4. Isotones
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Correct answer: B. Isotopes

1. Same element means the same proton count. 2. Different mass means a different neutron count. 3. Such atoms are isotopes. _Source: syllabus Physics Part II, Class XII, Chapter 13, Nuclei._

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The number of protons inside a nucleus is given by its:

  1. Atomic number
  2. Atomic weight
  3. Atomic radius
  4. Atomic volume
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Correct answer: A. Atomic number

1. Each symbol in the notation counts something. 2. The count of protons has its own name. 3. That name is the atomic number. _Source: syllabus Physics Part II, Class XII, Chapter 13, Nuclei._

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