Nuclear Physics Basics

What are the two main components of an atomic nuclues?

What is the name of the positively charged particle that makes up the nucleus of an atom?

What is the name of the electrically neutral particle that makes up the nucleus of an atom?

How many times smaller is the radius of a nucleus compared to the radius of the atom?

What is the empirical formula for the radius of a nucleus?

Nuclear Physics

Rutherford's experiments on alpha particle scattering demonstrated that the atomic nucleus is much smaller than the atom, approximately 10^-14 to 10^-15m compared to 10^-10m.
Nuclei, except hydrogen-1, are composed of protons and neutrons.
Protons carry a positive charge equal in magnitude to the charge of an electron.
Neutrons are electrically neutral.
Nucleons are the collective name for protons and neutrons.
The nuclide notation is ^A_ZX, with A being the mass number (total nucleons), Z being the atomic number (number of protons), and X being the chemical symbol.
The number of neutrons (N) is given by N = A - Z.

Constituents of a Nucleus

Electrons: Charge -ve, mass = 9.1 x 10^-31 kg, charge = -1.6 x 10^-19 C
Protons: Charge +ve, mass = 1.6725 x 10^-27 kg, charge = +1.6 x 10^-19 C
Neutrons: Charge Neutral, mass = 1.6748 x 10^-27 kg

General Properties of Nuclei

Size: The radius of a nucleus is approximately 10,000 times smaller than the radius of the atom. The empirical formula for the nuclear radius is R = R₀A^1/3, where A is the mass number and R₀ = 1.2 x 10^-15 m (or 1.2 fm).

Explore the fundamentals of nuclear physics, including Rutherford's experiments and the composition of atomic nuclei. This quiz covers key concepts such as nucleons, nuclide notation, and the properties of protons, neutrons, and electrons.