In the 1800s, the atom was considered to be a fundamental particle. Modern physics shows that this is not correct.
Describe the fundamental particles within an atom of oxygen-17 (817O^{17}_{8}\text{O}817O). In your answer, state the composition of the hadrons.
The half-life of lead-210 (82210Pb^{210}_{82}\text{Pb}82210Pb) is 22.3 years22.3\text{ years}22.3 years (y\text{y}y).
Show that the decay constant λ\lambdaλ for this isotope is about 3.1×10−2 y−13.1 \times 10^{-2}\text{ y}^{-1}3.1×10−2 y−1.
Lead-210 dating is a technique used to determine the age of sediment layers in lakes. A core sample is extracted, and the activity of lead-210 in a specific deeper layer is found to be 28%28\%28% of the activity of newly deposited surface sediment. Calculate the age in years of this sediment layer.
State one assumption made in the calculation in (ii).
90 exam-style questions on OCR A A Level Physics Nuclear and particle physics, covering The nuclear atom, Fundamental particles, Radioactivity, and Nuclear fission and fusion. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.