UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

CENTRE FOR FOUNDATION STUDIES

FOUNDATION IN SCIENCE (STREAM-P)
FHSC1034 WAVES AND MODERN PHYSICS

Tutorial 12: Nuclear Physics (Part 3)

Table below will be useful for many of these problems. A more complete list of atomic masses
can be obtained from internet or books.

Atomic Mass Atomic Mass Atomic Mass

Element Element Element
(u) (u) (u)
15 56
( -01 e ) 0.000 549 8 O 15.003 065 26 Fe 55.934 940
1 17 64
( n)
0 1.008 665 8 O 16.999 131 30 Zn 63.929 144
1 18 64
1 H 1.007 825 8 O 17.999 160 29 Cu 63.929 599
2 18 88
1 H 2.014 102 9 F 18.000 937 38 Sr 87.905618
3 20 98
1 H 3.016 049 10 Ne 19.992 435 40 Zr 97.9120
4 23 93
2 He 4.002 602 11 Na 22.989 770 41 Nb 92.906 377
7 23 135
3 Li 7.016 003 12 Mg 22.994 127 52 Te 134.9087
8 27 136
4 Be 8.005305 13 Al 26.981 538 54 Xe 135.907215
9 30 140
4 Be 9.012 174 15 P 29.978 310 58 Ce 139.905434
10 40 144
5 B 10.012 936 19 K 39.964000 60 Nd 143.910082
12 40 197
6 C 12.000 000 20 Ca 39.962 591 79 Au 196.966 543
13 42 202
6 C 13.003 355 20 Ca 41.958 622 80 Hg 201.970 617
14 43 216
7 N 14.003 074 20 Ca 42.958 770 84 Po 216.001 790
15 220
7 N 15.000 108 86 Rn 220.011 401
234
90 Th 234.043 583
235
92 U 235.043924
238
92 U 238.050 784

1 Curie = 3.7 × 1010 Bq = 3.7 × 1010 decay/s

1
Nuclear Fission

1. If the average energy released in a fission event is 208 MeV, find the total number of
fission events required to operate a 100 W light bulb for 1.0 h.
[1.1 × 1016]

2. Find the energy released in the following fission reactions:

1 235 98 135 1
(a) 0 n + 92 U → 40 Zr + 52Te + 3 0 n [192 MeV]
1 235 88 136
(b) 0 n + 92 U → 38 Sr + 54 Xe + 12 01 n [126 MeV]

3. Strontium-90 is a particularly dangerous fission product of 235U because it is

radioactive and it substitutes for calcium in bones. What other direct fission products
would accompany it in the neutron-induced fission of 235U?
[Note: This reaction may release two, three, or four free neutrons.]
[ 144 143 142
54 Xe , 54 Xe , 54 Xe ]

4. Assume that ordinary soil contains natural uranium in amounts of 1 part per million
by mass.
(a) How much uranium is in the top 1.00 meter of soil on a 1-acre (43 560-ft2)
plot of ground, assuming the specific gravity of soil is 4.00?
(b) How much of the isotope 235 92 U (which is appropriate for nuclear reactor fuel)
235
is in this soil? Given that the percent abundance of 92 U is 0.72%.
[(a) 16.2 kg; (b) 117 g]

5. A typical nuclear fission power plant produces about 1.00 GW of electrical power.
Assume that the plant has an overall efficiency of 40.0% and that each fission
produces 200 MeV of thermal energy. Calculate the mass of 235U consumed each day.
[2.63 kg]

6. Suppose that the water exerts an average frictional drag of 1.0 × 105 N on a nuclear-
powered ship. How far can the ship travel per kilogram of fuel if the fuel consists of
enriched uranium containing 1.7% of the fissionable isotope 235U and the ship’s
engine has an efficiency of 20%? (Assume 208 MeV is released per fission event.)
[2.90 × 103 km]

7. It has been estimated that the Earth contains 1.00 × 109 metric tons of natural uranium
that can be mined economically. If all the world’s energy needs (7.00 × 1012 J/s) were
supplied by 235U fission, how long would this supply last? Given that the percent
abundance of 23592 U is 0.720%. (Assume all
235
U will fission and 208 MeV is released
per fission.) [2.75 × 103 years]

8. An all-electric home uses approximately 2000 kWh of electric energy per month.
How much uranium-235 would be required to provide this house with its energy
needs for 1 year? (Assume 100% conversion efficiency and 208 MeV released per
fission.) [1.01 g]

2
Nuclear fusion

9. When a star has exhausted its hydrogen fuel, it may fuse other nuclear fuels. At
temperatures above 1.0 × 108 K, helium fusion can occur. Write the equations for the
following processes:
(a) Two alpha particles fuse to produce a nucleus A and a gamma ray. What is
nucleus A?
(b) Nucleus A absorbs an alpha particle to produce a nucleus B and a gamma ray.
What is nucleus B?
(c) Find the total energy released in the reactions given in (a) and (b).
[(a) 84 Be ; (b) 126 C ; (c) 7.27 MeV]

10. Another series of nuclear reactions that can produce energy in the interior of stars is
the cycle described below. This cycle is most efficient when the central temperature in
a star is above 1.6 × 107 K. Because the temperature at the center of the Sun is only
1.5 × 107 K, the following cycle produces less than 10% of the Sun’s energy.
(a) A high-energy proton is absorbed by 12C. Another nucleus, A, is produced in
the reaction, along with a gamma ray. Identify nucleus A.
(b) Nucleus A decays through positron emission to form nucleus B. Identify
nucleus B.
(c) Nucleus B absorbs a proton to produce nucleus C and a gamma ray. Identify
nucleus C.
(d) Nucleus C absorbs a proton to produce nucleus D and a gamma ray. Identify
nucleus D.
(e) Nucleus D decays through positron emission to produce nucleus E. Identify
nucleus E.
(f) Nucleus E absorbs a proton to produce nucleus F plus an alpha particle. What
is nucleus F? [Note: If nucleus F is not 12C—that is, the nucleus you started
with—you have made an error and should review the sequence of events.]
[(a) 137 N ; (b) 136 C ; (c) 147 N ; (d) 158 O ; (e) 157 N ; (f) 126 C ]

11. If an all-electric home uses approximately 2000 kWh of electric energy per month,
how many fusion events described by the reaction 21 H + 31 H → 42 He + 01 n would be
required to keep this home running for one year?
[3.07 × 1022]

12. (a) What is meant by nuclear fission and nuclear fusion reaction?
(b) State the nuclear reaction that happens in an atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb
respectively.
(c) In a thermonuclear reaction, deuterium and tritium fuse to form helium-4, free
a neutron and release 17.6 MeV of energy.
(i) Write the equation for the above nuclear reaction.
(ii) Name the other product of the nuclear reaction.
(iii) Determine the mass deficit during the reaction.
[3.13 ×10−29 kg]

3
13. The nuclear fusion of Deuterium to produce Helium is given as below:

2
1 H + 12H → 24 He

Data provided: Atomic mass of 12 H = 2.014102 u

1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2

(a) Compute the energy released by this reaction in the unit of MeV.
(b) Determine the number of nuclear fusions generated if 2.00 kg of Deuterium is
used.
(c) The energy released by the fusion process is used to operate a power station
with an output power of 5.20 MW. If the efficiency of the system is only at
35.0 %, estimate the number of years that 2.00 kg of Deuterium source can
supply for this amount of power.
[(a) 23.9 MeV, (b) 2.99 ×1026 , (c) 2.44 yrs]