Radiation and Nuclear Energy
Name
Date
Nuclear Isotope Notations
Mass Number
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Example: ________________________
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Isotopes: 12C, 13C, 14C
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Carbon occurs naturally in ______________ isotopes.
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All of these atoms have the same number of ________________, but different number of neutrons.
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The number of neutrons and protons determines the mass, so the masses are different between the
isotopes.
14
C is radioactive
Half Life
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Half Life is the ________________________________ it takes for _________ of the nuclei in a sample to
_____________________.
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The time required for the amount for _________________________ material to decrease by 50%.
Carbon Dating
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Radioactive 14C acts chemically just like 12C, so it becomes incorporated into plants and animals.
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When the animal/plant dies the 14C begins to decay into 14N at a known rate, so we can determine
_________________________________ the organism died.
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This is called ______________________________________.
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It’s only good for about 50,000 years.
Carbon Dating
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The half-life of 14C is 5,730 years.
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If a sample originally contained 100 g, how much would be left after 11,460 years?
Answer =
Older Dating Methods
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The isotopes 235U and 238U can be used to date objects ___________________ of years old.
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235
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238
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Mainly used for rocks.
U has a half-life of 704 million years.
U has a half-life of 4.5 billion years.
Radioactivity
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Radioactivity is the _____________________ disintegration of atomic nuclei. The nucleus emits α particles, ß
particles, or electromagnetic rays during this process.
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__________________________________________ during radioactive decay
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After decaying, radioactive atoms “__________________” into other atoms.
Types of Ionizing Radiation
Why does an atom do this?
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The nucleus of an atom attempts to become more ________________________
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In some instances, a _______________________________ is formed and in other cases, a new form of the
original element, called an ________________, appears.
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The ______________ of Radioactive decay is described in ________________________.
Fission vs. Fusion
Fission
Fusion
Fission
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Nuclear power can come from the _____________of uranium, plutonium or thorium or the fusion of hydrogen
into helium.
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Today it is almost all ___________________.
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The fission of an atom of uranium produces 10 million times the energy produced by the combustion of an atom
of carbon from coal.
What is Nuclear Energy?
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Power plants use ____________ from fission to produce _________________________.
Nuclear Reactors
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A nuclear reactor is a device built to sustain a _____________________________________________________.
Nuclear Fuel: Uranium
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The ______________ used in nuclear power plants is an ______________________ of the radioactive element
uranium.
•
•
Uranium-235
Fission of U-235 splits nucleus in two pieces which releases neutrons for a _________________________.
The Nuclear Power Plant
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Nuclear power plant consists of all the parts needed to create electricity by using nuclear energy.
Arguments that Support Nuclear Energy:
1.
2.
3.
Arguments Against Nuclear Energy:
1.
2.
3.
What is your opinion?