ATOMS AND NUCLEI

PREVIOUS YEAR BOARD EXAM QUESTIONS

1 MARK QUESTIONS
1. Write the relation between mean life of a
radioactive element and its decay constant.
2. State two characteristic properties of nuclear force.
3. State reason, why heavy water is used as a
moderator in nuclear reactors.
4. Calculate the ratio of energies of photons emitted
due to transition of hydrogen atom from its Second
permitted energy level to first level.
5. What is the ratio of the radii of the orbits
corresponding to first excited state and ground state
in a hydrogen atom?
6. Four nuclei of an element fuse together to form a
heavier nucleus. If the process is accompanied by the
release of energy, then which of two-the present or
the daughter nucleus would have higher binding
energy per nucleon?
7. Write the ionization energy value of hydrogen
atom.
8. Identify the nature of radioactive radiations
emitted in each step of a decay process given below:
A
XZ A-4YZ-2 A-4WZ-1
9. How will the distance of closest approach be
affected when the kinetic energy of the -particle is
doubled?
10.A radioactive sample A undergoes -decay to
become B and B further undergoes decay to
become C and I further becomes D undergoing -
decay. If the mass number and Atomic number of C
are 176 and 69 respectively, find the mass number
and atomic number of A.
11. In the following nuclear reaction, assign values for
Z and A:
n + 235U92 144BaZ + AX36 + 3n
12. The mean life of a radioactive sample is Tm. What
is the time in which 50% of this sample gets
disintegrated?
13. Show graphically the nature of variation of radius
of orbit with principal quantum number, n.
14. The short wavelength limits of Lyman, Paschen
and Balmer series are denoted as L, P and B.
Arrange these wavelengths in increasing order.
15. How can radioisotopes help a doctor to diagnose
brain tumour?
16. What is the significance of total energy of an
electron, being negative?
17. A 12.5 eV electron beam is used to bombard
gaseous hydrogen at room temperature. Upto which
energy level the hydrogen atoms would be excited?
18. Give one example each of -decay and - -decay by
writing decay processes in symbolic form.
19. In both decay processes, the mass number of a
nucleus remains same, where as the atomic number Z
increases by one or decreases by one. Give reason.
20. Find the energy required to move an electron from
the ground state to first excited state of an electron.
21. The electron in hydrogen atom is initially in third
excited state. What is the maximum number of
spectral lines which can be emitted when it finally
moves to ground state?
22. Give the relation between size of a nucleus and its
mass number (A).
23. Write the relation for binding energy of a nucleus
of mass AMZ , atomic number Z and mass number A in
terms of the masses of the constituents-neutrons and
protons.

2 MARK QUESTIONS
1. Calculate the wavelengths of second members of
Lyman and Balmer Series.
2. State the first two postulates of Bohrs Theory of
hydrogen atoms. Also, explain briefly the necessity for
involving these postulates to describe the structures
of atoms.
3. The half life period of a radioactive substance is 50
days. What is the time taken for 7/8 th of its original
mass to disintegrate?
4. A hydrogen atom, initially in ground state absorbs a
photon, which excites it to n=4 level. Determine the
wavelength of photon.
5. The half life of 80Sr38 is 28 years. Calculate the
activity of 15 mg of this sample. Given that 1 g of this
isotope contains 15 x 1020 atoms.
6. Write the Rydbergs formula. Using this, calculate
the wavelengths of first members of Lyman and
Balmer series.
7. A radioactive nucleus has a decay constant =
0.3465 (day)-1. How long would it take the nucleus to
decay to 75% to its initial amount?
8. The half life of 235U92 undergoing -decay is 4.5 x 109
years. Determine the activity of a 10 g of this sample.
Given that 1 g of this isotope contains 25.3 x 1020
atoms.
 9. The total energy of an electron in the 2nd excited
state is -1.51 eV. Find its Kinetic and Potential
Energies at this state.
10. The orbital radius of an electron in first excited
state of hydrogen atom is 21.2 x 10-11 m. Find its
radius in 2nd excited state.
11. The radius of innermost electron orbit of a
hydrogen atom is 53 pm. Calculate its radius in 3rd
orbit.
12. When 4 hydrogen nuclei combine to form a helium
nucleus, estimate the amount of energy(In MeV)
released in this process of fusion. Neglect the masses
of electrons and neutrons. Given,
(i). Mass of Hydrogen atom = 1.087825 u
(ii). Mass of helium nucleus= 4.002603 u
(iii). 1 u =931.5 MeV/c2.
13. Show that the total energy(E) of electron in
stationery orbits can be expressed as a sum of Kinetic
Energy(K) and Potential Energy(U), where K= -2U.
 14. In the given sample, two radioisotopes A and B are
present in the ratio 1 : 4. The half lives of A and b are
respectively 100 and 50 years each. Find the time after
which amounts of A and B become equal.
15. Calculate the half lives of a radioactive substance
where its activity drops to 1/16th of its initial value in 30
years.
16. Name the physical quantity whose SI unit is
Becquerel. How this quantity is related to disintegration
constant, mean life and half life of a radioactive
element?
17. Draw the trajectory of -particle in the Coulomb
field of a nucleus. What is the significance of Impact
parameter?
18. In the Geiger-Marsdon experiment, draw the
trajectory of -particles in Coulomb field of target
nucleus. Explain briefly how one gets information on
size of nucleus from this theory.
19. State Bohrs postulate of Hydrogen atom which
successfully explains the emission lines in spectrum of
hydrogen atom. Use Rydberg formula to determine the
wavelength of H line. (R= 1.03 x 107 m-1)
20. The half life of a certain radioactive material against
-decay is 100 days. After how much time will the
undecayed fraction of material be 6.25%?
21. Estimate the distance of closest approach to the
nucleus(Z=80) if a 7.7 MeV -particle before it comes
momentarily to rest and reverses its direction.
22. Write two important limitations of Rutherford
model of atom, which could not explain the observed
features of an atomic spectra. How were these
explained in Bohrs model of Hydrogen atom?
23. Using Bohrs postulates, obtain the expression for
the radius of the nth orbit in a hydrogen atom.
24. Complete the following reactions:
(a). 10B5 + 1n0 4He2 + ..
(b). 94Mo42 + 2H1 95Te43 + .
25. A radioactive isotope has a half life of T years. How
long will it take for it to reduce to 3.125%?
26. The half life of a radioactive element is 125 days.
What is the time taken for 15/16th of its original mass to
disintegrate?
27. Calculate the shortest wavelength of spectral lines
emitted in Balmer series. Find the region where it lies in
Hydrogen spectra.(R = 107 m-1)
28. In the ground state of hydrogen atom, its Bohr
radius is given as 5.3 x 10-11 m. The atom is excited such
that the radius becomes 21.3 x 10-11m. Find the value of
principal quantum number and also the total energy of
atom in excited state.
29. Calculate the wavelength of a radiation emitted
when electron in a hydrogen atom jumps from n= to
n=1.
30. What is the H line emission spectrum of Hydrogen
atom? Calculate the frequency of photon emitted
during this transition.
31. Use Bohr model of Hydrogen atom to calculate the
speed of electron in first excited state.
32. Derive the mathematical exprestion for law of
radioactive decay for a sample of a radioactive nucleus.
33. A nucleus with mass number A=240 and binding
energy = 7.6 MeV breaks into two fragments each of
A=120 with binding energy = 8.5 MeV. Calculate the
released energy.
34. Use de-Broglies hypothesis to write the relation for
the nth radius of Bohr orbit in terms of Bohrs
quantization condition of orbital angular momentum.
35. Calculate the energy in fusion reaction:
2
H1 + 2H1 3He2 + n
Where binding energy of hydrogen is 2.23 MeV and that
of Helium isotope is 7.73 MeV.
36. Prove that the instantaneous rate of change of
activity of a radioactive substance is inversely
proportional to the square of half of its half life.
37. A radioactive material is reduced to 1/16th of its
original amount in 4 days. How much material should
one begin with so that after 6 days, 4 x 10-3 kg of
material is left?
38. Draw a plot of potential energy of a pair of nucleons
as a function of their separation. Write two important
conclusions which you can draw from the nature of
nuclear forces.
39. The number of nuclei of a given radioactive sample
at t=0 and t=T are N0 and N0/n respectively. Obtain an
expression for half life in terms of n and T.
40. Given the value of ground state energy of hydrogen
atom as -13.6 eV, find out its kinetic and potential
energies at ground and second excited states.
41. Calculate the energy released in MeV in following
nuclear reaction:
235
U92 234 Th90 + 4He2 + Q
(Mass of Uranium isotope= 238.05079 u, Mass of
Thorium isotope =234.0436310 u and Mass of Helium
=4.002600 u)
42. A heavy nucleus X of mass number 240 and binding
energy per nucleon 7.6 MeV is split into two fragments
Y and Z of mass numbers 110 and 130. The binding
energy of nucleons in Y and Z are 805 Mev each.
Calculate the total energy released per fission in MeV.
43. Write symbolically the process expressing + decay
of 22Na11. Also, write the basic nuclear process
underlying. Is nucleus formed an isobar or isotope?

3 MARK QUESTIONS
1. Calculate the wavelengths of first members of
Paschen, Pfund and Brackket series.
2. (a). When the hydrogen atom is in its second excited
state, calculate the ratio of maximum and minimum
wavelengths of radiations emitted in the process.
(b). State any two postulates of Bohr Hydrogen atom.
3. (a). Write the basic nuclear process involved in the
emission of + decay in a symbolic form .
(b). In the reactions given below, find x,y,z,a,b,c.
11
C6 zBy + x + Energy
12
C6 + 12C6 20Nea + cHeb
4. Half life of Uranium-238 isotope is 4.5 x 109 years.
Calculate the activity of 1 g of this sample.
5. Derive the relation for magnetic field at the site of a
point nucleus in a hydrogen atom due to circular motion
of electron. Assume that the atom is in its ground state
and give the answer in terms of fundamental constants.
6. (a). Define activity of a radioactive substance.
(b). Two different radioactive elements with half lifes
T1 and T2 have N1 and N2 undecayed atoms respectively
present at an instant. Derive an expression for the ratio
of their activities at this instant. Derive also an
expression for the ratio of their activities at this instant
in terms of N1 and N2.
7. The ground state energy level of hydrogen atom is -
13.06 eV. Find its Kinetic energy in 2nd excited state. If
an electron jumps to the ground state to 2nd state,
calculate the wavelength of spectral line emitted.
8. The spectrum of a star is visible and the UV region
was observed and wavelength of some of the lines that
could be identified where: (In Angstrom)
824, 970, 1120, 2504, 5173, 6100
Which of these lines cannot belong to hydrogen
spectrum? Support your answer with suitable
calculations. Given that 1/R = 970 Ao.
9. State Bohrs postulate for the permitted orbits for
an electron in hydrogen atom. Use this postulate to
prove that the circumference of nth permitted orbit for
the electron can contain exactly n wavelengths of the
de-Broglie wavelength associated with electron in the
orbit.
10. Draw a plot of potential energy of a pair of nucleons
as a function of their separation. Mark the regions
where force is attractive or repulsive. Write two
important conclusions drawn from the plot.
11. A radioactive sample has a activity of 10000
disintegratons per second(dps) after 20 hours. After
next 10hours, its activity reduces to 5000 dps. Find out
its half life and initial activity.
12. Using Bohrs postulates, obtain the expression for
the total energy of electron in a stationery orbit of
hydrogen atom. Hence, draw the energy level diagram
showing how the line spectra corresponding to Balmer
series occur due to transition between energy levels.
13. The ground state energy of hydrogen atom is -13.6
eV. If an electron makes a transition from an energy
level -0.85 eV to -3.40 eV, calculate the wavelength of
spectral line emitted. To which series of hydrogen
spectrum do this wavelength belong to?
14. (a). Show that the density of a nucleus over a wide
range of nuclei is independent if mass number.
(b). What characteristic property of nuclear force
explains the constancy of binding energy per nucleon in
range of mass number A lying between 30<A<170?
15. Differentiate between nuclear fusion and nuclear
fission. Show, In how both these processes energy is
released.
16. Use Bohrs postulates of Hydrogen atom to deduce
the expression for Kinetic energy of an electron
revolving around nth orbit. How is the potential energy
in nth orbit is related to Kinetic energy?
17. Write symbolically the nuclear + process of 11C6 . Is
the decayed product X, an isotope of above Carbon?
(Mass of X = 11.0093035 u, Mass of Cabon-11 isotope =
11.011434 u). Estimate the Q-value in this process.
18. The ground energy of hydrogen atom is -13.6 eV.
What are the potential and kinetic energies of an
electron in 3rd excited state? If the electron jumps to
ground state from 3rd excited state, calculate the
frequency of photon emitted.
19.(a). What are the potential and kinetic energies of
hydrogen atom at ground state?
(b). Explain Bohrs second postulate of quantization
of energy level, with suitable diagram using de-Broglies
hypotheses.
20.(a). State the law of radioactive decay.
(b). Plot a graph showing the number of undecayed
nuclei(N) as a function of time(t) for a given radioactive
sample having half life T1/2. Depict in the plot number of
undecayed nuclei at t= 3T1/2 and at t=5T1/2.
21. Using Bohrs postulates of hydrogen atom, obtain an
expression for frequency of radiation emitted when
atom makes a transition from higher energy state with
quantum number ni to lower energy state with
quantum number nf. (ni > nf )
22.(a). Define the term mass defect of a nucleus. How is
it related to its binding energy?
(b). Estimate Q-value of following reaction:
1
H1 + 3H1 2H1 + 2H1
(Given that, mass of Protium= 1.00783 u,
Mass of Deutirium =2.014102u,
Mass of Tritium = 3.016049 u,
1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2 )