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This question is about radioactivity - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 9 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 9
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 - Question 9 - 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. Alpha, beta, and gamma emissions are all types of radiation that come from unstable nuclei as they decay to reach a stable state. Alpha particles consist of two protons and two neutrons and are ionising, beta particles are electrons or positrons emitted from unstable nuclei, while gamma rays are high-energy electromagnetic radiation that also originates from unstable nuclei.
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 contain the same number of protons, which is 9, as they are all isotopes of the element fluorine.
Difference: A radioactive isotope of fluorine will have a different number of neutrons compared to fluorine-19, leading to a different atomic mass. For example, fluorine-18 has one less neutron than fluorine-19, having 8 neutrons instead of 10.