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SL - Nuclear & Quantum Physics

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

DP IB SL Physics Quiz

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1. A source of radiation is near a magnetic field that is directed into the page. A sheet of paper is placed in the path of the radiation before it enters the magnetic field.

PH0357

The gamma radiation is not deflected when entering the magnetic field. Which of the following is correct about the other type of radiation that penetrates the paper sheet and the direction of its deflected path in the magnetic field?

Type of radiation Direction of deflected path
A. α Upwards
B. α Downwards
C. β^− Upwards
D. β^ Downwards

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2. In a nuclear reactor, what is the name given to the material used to slow down neutrons in order to cause successful fissions?

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3. A student investigates the scattering of alpha particles. Initially, she uses a gold foil (Z = 79) and next she repeats the experiment using an aluminum (Z = 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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4. The luminosity of the Sun is . A main sequence star with twice the radius of the sun and twice the temperature of the sun has a luminosity of . What is the ratio of L/L⊙?

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5. Estimate the speed of an alpha particle that has accelerated from rest in a uniform electric field E=50 N C^−1 over a distance of 2.0 m

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6. Some regions on the H-R diagram are labelled.

PH0718

A main sequence star with a mass of three times the Sun will evolve through a series of stages. Which of the following sequences of stages could correctly represent the path of the evolution of this star?

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7.

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8. 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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9. An electron in a hydrogen atom is excited from the ground state of n=1to the n=4 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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10. Which of the following is correct for a stable star?

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11.

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12. The activity of a 100% pure radioactive sample is 10^6 Bq. The activity of the sample after 20% of nuclei have decayed is:

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13. 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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14. Which of the following correctly shows the change in total binding energy per nucleon in nuclear fission and nuclear fusion?

 Nuclear fission  Nuclear fusion
A. increases increases
B. decreases increases
C. decreases decreases
D. increases decreases

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15. 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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16. For fusion reactions to occur in a cloud of stellar dust, a combination of high temperature and high density among hydrogen nuclei is essential. Which of the following correctly shows why high temperature and high pressure are needed?

High temperature High density
A. To get hydrogen nuclei sufficiently close To get a high rate of collision
B. To get a high rate of collision To get hydrogen nuclei sufficiently close
C. To get hydrogen nuclei sufficiently far away To get a low rate of collision
D. To get a low rate of collision To get hydrogen nuclei sufficiently far away

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17. 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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18. 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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19. Which of the following correctly states the conclusion drawn from the Rutherford-Geiger-Marsden experiment?

 

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20. A stationary nucleus of uranium-238 undergoes alpha decay to form thorium-234. The initial speed of the alpha particle is . What is correct about the magnitude of the thorium-234 velocity and its direction?

Magnitude Direction
A. 4v/234 Same as the alpha particle
B. [234/238]v Opposite to the alpha particle
C. [234/238]v Same as the alpha particle
D. [4/234] Opposite to the alpha particle

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21. Consider the following statements about nuclear binding energy:

The nuclear binding energy is:

  • I. proportional to the mass defect from nucleus formation.
  • II. the energy released when a nucleus is formed from its nucleons.
  • III. the energy required to remove a proton from the nucleus.

Which of the statements are correct?

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22. In a nuclear fission reaction, a nucleus of element  absorbs a neutron and decays into a nucleus of element  and a nucleus of element .

X+n→Y+Z+2n

Which of the following statements are true about the binding energies are likely true:

  • I. Binding energy per nucleon of Y is greater than the binding energy per nucleon of .
  • II. Total binding energy of  and Z is less than the total binding energy of .
  • III. Total binding energy of  and  is greater than the total binding energy of .
  • IV. Binding energy per nucleon of  is less than the binding energy per nucleon of .

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23. 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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24. Some of the energy levels of electrons of a mercury atom are as shown.

PH0233

Electrons and photons are incident on a mercury vapour causing energy level transitions. Emitted photons due to the transition of electrons between energy levels from the vapour have an energy of 4.9 eV.

Which of the following could be incident into mercury vapour?

I. An electron with an energy of 5.1eV
II. A photon with an energy of 4.9 eV
III. A photon with an energy of 5.1eV

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25.

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