SCI 1901E - Energy
Chapter Objectives - Chapter 13: The Atom and Its Nucleus
Lesson notes:
This is the first of four lessons that consider nuclear energy processes. This lesson provides an overview of atomic and nuclear physics necessary for understanding the remaining three lessons.
Objectives:
1. Be able to describe the composition and structure of the atom.
2. Be able to describe the composition of the nucleus and the nature of the force that holds it together.
3. Be able to explain the concept of energy levels.
4. Be able to write the symbol for a nuclide.
5. Be able to define radioactivity and to perform simple radioactive decay problems.
6. Be able to write radioactive decay equations and nuclear reaction equations.
7. Be able to describe the fission process.
Vocabulary:
plum pudding model
nuclide
Rutherford a scattering experiment
half-life
Bohr model
activity
proton
decay constant
neutron
radiometric dating
atomic number
chain reaction
isotope
quark
Homework:
Text errata:
Page 439, first sentence in section F: There are now 117 known elements Element number 117 has not yet been produced, but element number 118 has. Elements 112-116 and 118 do not have names yet.
Page 449: The Periodic table in the text is not up to date. A very nice web-based updated periodic table is available at from the University of Sheffield, England. A dynamic periodic table is available from Michael Dayah.
Additional sources of information:
The Health Physics Society provides a Web site with information on three of pioneers in the field of radioactivity: Pierre and Marie Curie, and Henri Becquerel.
The Lawrence Berkley Laboratory provides a glossary of nuclear terms with animations.
Brookhaven National Laboratory provides an interactive Chart of the Nuclides.
Last update: April 08, 2009