Nuclear radii can be estimated using scattering experiments with high-energy electrons or alpha particles.
State two advantages of using high-energy electrons rather than alpha particles to estimate nuclear radii.
The radius R R\,R of a nucleus is related to its nucleon number A A\,A by the equation:
R=R0A13 R = R_0 A^{\frac{1}{3}} R=R0A31where R0 R_0\,R0 is a constant.
Show that this equation is consistent with the idea that all nuclei have the same density.
Suggest one reason why the constant density of nuclear material derived from this equation is only an approximation.
The measured radius R R\,R of a calcium nucleus 2040Ca^{40}_{20}\text{Ca}2040Ca is 4.27 × 10-15 m.
Calculate an estimate of:
(Assume the mass of a nucleon is 1.67 × 10-27 kg.)
128 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Physics Radioactivity (A-level only), covering Rutherford scattering (A-level only), $\alpha$ , $\beta$ and $\gamma$ radiation (A-level only), Radioactive decay (A-level only), Nuclear instability (A-level only), Nuclear radius (A-level only), Mass and energy (A-level only), Induced fission (A-level only), and Safety aspects (A-level only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.