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HL - Nuclear & Quantum Physics

25 MCQ from 2025 Question Bank Nuclear & Quantum Physics (all topics)

DP IB HL Physics Quiz

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1. Which of the following physical quantities has the same SI unit as the radioactive decay constant?

 

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2. During experiments observing beta decays, it was seen that the energy spectrum of the beta particles is continuous and momentum conservation was violated in beta decays. This provided evidence for the existence of:

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3. Which of the following radioactive decays can cause the production of a daughter nucleus to be a different element than the parent nucleus?

I.α decay
II.β decay
III.γ decay

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4. A student investigates the scattering of alpha particles. Initially, she uses a gold foil ( = 79) and next she repeats the experiment using an aluminum ( = 13) foil of the same thickness. The scattered alpha particles are observed on a detector that fluoresces.

Which of the following will be true as she switches from the gold foil to the aluminum foil?

I. The alpha particles deflect more from the gold nucleus than the aluminum.
II. The alpha particles approach the gold nucleus closer than the aluminum nucleus.
III. There is no change in the observed scattering pattern.

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5. A pure radioactive sample of mass m has a decay constant of . Its activity is given by . Another pure sample of the same material has a mass . Consider the following statements about the sample of mass  after an interval of two half lives.

  • I. The decay constant is λ/2.
    II. The activity is A/2.
    III. The mass of decayed nucleons in the sample is m/2

Which of the statements is/are correct?

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6. Which value below gives the closest approximation for the diameter of a uranium-238 nucleus?

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7. The parallax angles of Star A and Star B are 0.250 arcseconds and 0.500 arcseconds respectively. What is the shortest possible distance, in parsec, between Star A and Star B?

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8. The diagram shows atomic energy levels of an element, and wavelengths are labeled corresponding to emission for electron transition between certain energy levels.

PH0299

Which of the following shows these wavelengths in decreasing order?

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9. In the absence of the strong nuclear force, a large nucleus would be even more unstable than a small nucleus. Which one of the following is the best explanation?

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10.

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11. Which of the following correctly states the conclusion drawn from the Rutherford-Geiger-Marsden experiment?

 

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12. In the design of a nuclear fission reactor, which of the following statements are true?

I. Control rods can increase the rate of fission when inserted into the reactor
II. The moderator blocks neutrons to ensure the chain reaction is controlled
III. Enrichment of uranium increases the probability of a chain reaction taking place

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13. Which of the following is correct about a red giant star?

I. The orbits of the inner planets of the solar system and could fit into the volume of it
II. Cooler than the Sun
III. Have higher luminosity than the Sun

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14. The diagram below shows the graph of binding energy per nucleon vs. the mass (nucleon) number of some elements.

PH0332

Which is the most stable nucleus?

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15. Alpha particles of kinetic energy  are fired at nuclei of proton number .

The number of particles scattered at different angles are in agreement with the prediction of Rutherford's scattering model.

Which of the following changes to the values of  and  will result in a significant deviation from Rutherford's model?

Value of   Value of 
A. Decrease Increase
B. Decrease Decrease
C. Increase Increase
D. Increase Decrease

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16. The photocurrents produced by illuminating a metal plate with yellow light beams of intensities  and  are  and  respectively. The corresponding stopping voltages are  and . Given that  , which of the following statements is true about the photocurrents and the stopping voltages?

Photocurrents Stopping voltages
A. i1 V1=V2
B. i1 V1
C. i1>i2 V1=V2
D. i1=i2 V1

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17. The nuclear energy levels of a nucleus are shown below. K, L, and M are transitions between energy levels.

PH0456

Which statements are correct about photons emitted during transitions K, L, and M?

I. The wavelength of the photon emitted by transition K is greater than the wavelength of the photon emitted by transition L.
II. The frequency of the photon emitted by transition K is equal to the frequency of the photon emitted by transition M.
III. The wavelength of the photon emitted by transition L is greater than the wavelength of the photon emitted by transition M.

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18. An electron in a hydrogen atom is excited from the ground state of to the  level. What is the total number of frequencies that can be observed from the emission spectrum as the electron returns to ground state?

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19. No electrons are emitted when metal plate  is irradiated by an electromagnetic radiation of wavelength , and intensity . Which of the following could result in emission of photoelectrons?

I. Decreasing the wavelength λ of incident light.
II. Increasing the intensity of electromagnetic radiation at the same wavelength.
III. Replacing metal X, with a metal of smaller threshold frequency.

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20. Which of the following is correct for a stable star?

 

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21. A nuclear reactor converts nuclear energy into electrical energy. Which of the following reactions best describes the primary nuclear reaction in a nuclear reactor?

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22. A star with a mass of twice the mass of the sun is a main sequence star. The time the sun is expected to spend in the main sequence is . Which of the following is correct for the time the star is expected to spend in the main sequence and the next stage in its evolution?

Time Stage
A. More than T Red giant
B. More than T Supergiant
C. Less than T Red giant
D. Less than T Supergiant

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23. A main sequence star has a mass greater than 4 times the mass of the Sun. Which of the following is correct about the possible the fate of the star?

I. White dwarf
II. Neutron star
III. Black hole

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24. Two lasers, A and B emit light of the same wavelength. If the intensity of A is greater than that of B, which of the following statements would be the correct interpretations of this situation using the wave and particle models of light.

Wave model Particle model
A. The amplitude of LASER A is greater than that of LASER B. LASER A emits more photons per second than LASER B.
B. The amplitude of LASER B is greater than that of LASER A. LASER B emits more photons per second than LASER A.
C. The amplitude of LASER A is greater than that of LASER B. LASER B emits more photons per second than LASER A.
D. The amplitude of LASER B is greater than that of LASER A. LASER A emits more photons per second than LASER B.

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25. A star with a mass similar to the Sun, a temperature hotter than the Sun, and a radius similar to the Earth would be found in which region of the usual Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?

PH0713B

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