An underwater wastewater pipeline discharging into an estuary is suspected of having a leak. A radioactive tracer, sodium-24, is injected into the pipeline at the shore station to locate the leak.
(i) Sodium-24 has a half-life of 15 hours. Give two reasons why this half-life is suitable for this purpose.
(ii) Sodium-24 emits gamma radiation. Explain why this makes sodium-24 a suitable tracer for underwater leaks.
(iii) Sodium-24 decays to form a stable magnesium isotope. Explain why this is important for the surrounding environment.
A radiation detector is mounted on a survey boat that is steered along the path of the pipeline on the surface. Explain how the location of the leak is identified.
A 96 mg mass of sodium-24 is initially injected into the pipeline. Calculate the mass of sodium-24 that remains after 60 hours.
Uses and hazards Questions
Practise OCR GCSE Physics Uses and hazards with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 16 questions, matched to the OCR GCSE Physics (J249) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 (Foundation Tier) or Paper 3 and Paper 4 (Higher Tier) style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.