Nuclear radii can be estimated using scattering experiments with high-energy electrons or alpha particles.
Outline two distinct physics reasons why high-energy electron scattering provides a more accurate probe of nuclear size than alpha-particle scattering.
The radius RRR of a nucleus is related to its nucleon number AAA by the equation:
R=R0A13 R = R_0 A^{\frac{1}{3}} R=R0A31where R0R_0R0 is a constant.
(i) Derive an expression for the density ρ\rhoρ of a nucleus in terms of the nucleon mass mnucleonm_{\text{nucleon}}mnucleon and the constant R0R_0R0, and hence demonstrate that this equation is consistent with the idea that all nuclei have the same density.
(ii) Explain briefly one physical limitation of this model that causes the calculated density of nuclear material to be only an approximation.
A nuclear physics database lists the charge radius of a zinc isotope 3064Zn^{64}_{30}\text{Zn}3064Zn as 4.84×10−15 m4.84 \times 10^{-15}\text{ m}4.84×10−15 m.
Calculate an estimate of:
(Assume the mass of a nucleon is 1.67×10−27 kg1.67 \times 10^{-27}\text{ kg}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.