Grade 10 - PhysicsLesson - Week1
Grade 10 - PhysicsLesson - Week1
Dear Students,
Please complete the worksheet attached along with this lesson notes in your home work copy.
To complete the worksheet, you can use the relevant chapter in your textbook as a reference..
If you are confused about anything, you can always message your teacher on Teams for help!
Good luck
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Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus of an atom, while electrons
orbit at a distance.
The properties of each of these particles are shown in the table below:
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When α-particles are fired at thin gold foil, most of them go straight
through, some are deflected through small angles and a very small number
bounce straight back.
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Observation:
ATOMIC SYMBOLS
The lower number is called the atomic number and is equal to the
total number of protons in the nucleus.
The top number is called the mass number and is equal to the sum
of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
ISOTOPES
Although atoms of the same element always have the same number of
protons (and hence electrons), the number of neutrons can vary:
The three atoms shown below are isotopes of carbon, but they each
have different numbers of neutrons. Such atoms are called isotopes.
*** Isotopes are atoms (of the same element) that have equal
numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
Stability of Isotopes
This force is very strong and acts over a small distance. It is strong
enough to hold the nucleus together against the repelling electric
force. The nuclear force acts between all of the particles in the
nucleus. So, isotopes have same repelling force but different nuclear
force due to different neutron numbers.
Note:
Describe the nature of alpha (α) particles, beta (β−) particles and
gamma (γ) rays, and recall that they may be distinguished in terms
of penetrating power and ability to ionize.
Alpha particles, therefore has a relative charge of +2. They are usually
emitted from nuclei that are too large.
Alpha particles have very short range and high ionizing ability. This is
because they interact more with atoms in their paths, causing ions to
form. This means that they rapidly give up their own energy they had
when thrown out from the unstable nucleus. It can be stopped by thin
paper or skin.
These electrons are not electrons from the electron shells around the
nucleus, but are generated when a neutron in the nucleus splits to
form a proton and an accompanying electron. This fast-moving
electron is the beta particle.
Beta particles are negatively charged. They are smaller and carry less
charge than alpha. So, they interact with matter in their paths less
frequently than alpha particles and cause less ionization. As a result,
they have higher range as well. It can be stopped by a thin sheet (few
mm) of aluminum.
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They are emitted by nuclei that need to lose some energy. Gamma
rays are emitted by most radioactive sources along with alpha or beta
particles. After alpha or beta emission the remaining nucleus may still
be in an excited energy state. By releasing a gamma radiation, it tends
to become stable.
Diagram below showing the penetrative abilities of alpha (α) particles, beta
(β−) particles, and gamma (γ) rays.
Note how some of the gamma rays are able to penetrate few mm of lead.
………………………………………………………….
(You can also follow Chapter 22 & 23 from the Physics for Cambridge IGCSE
by David Sang book to revise the topics covered in this note.)
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Practice Questions
1.
a)
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2.
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3.
The nucleus of an isotope of plutonium has 94 protons and 147 neutrons. The
chemical symbol
for plutonium is Pu.
4.
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5.
6.
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7. Explain how the alpha-particle scattering experiment provides evidence for the
existence of a positively charged nucleus inside the atom. [2]
8.
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9. (a)
[1]
(b)
[1]
10.
[4]
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*** You can also practice exercise questions from the text book (Physics for
Cambridge IGCSE by David Sang- 3rd Edition)