BLOCK 5: ATOMIC

PHYSICS
#TheNuclearAtom #Radioactivity
RECAP: Motor, Generator and Transformer
• Motor – converts ELECTRICAL energy to MECHANICAL energy (MOTOR EFFECT)
- uses electricity and produces motion or stored in position
- determining motion, field and current: FLEMMING’S LEFT HAND RULE

• Generator – converts MECHANICAL energy to ELECTRICAL energy (ELECTROMAGNETIC

INDUCTION)
- uses motion or stored in position and produces electricity
- determining motion, field and current: FLEMMING’S RIGHT HAND RULE

• Transformer – may increase or decrease a voltage

- can be step-up or step down
- with primary coil and primary (input) voltage as well secondary coil and
secondary (output) voltage
CAN YOU GUESS ONE SIMILARITY OF THE
IMAGES BELOW?

They are all MATTER that is

composed of its basic unit known as
ATOMS
___________
BRIEF HISTORY OF AN ATOM

• DEMOCRITUS – usually credited with first suggesting

the idea that matter was made of TINY, INDIVISIBLE
particles called ATOMS.
- He believed that atoms were the smallest
building blocks of matter so they could not be divided
into anything smaller.
“a – tom” means ‘ not divisible’

Early years of 20th century – the mini-solar-system

picture of an atom was developed
But today, most scientists would picture it rather
Democritus, 460 – 371 B.C.
differently.
Evolution of atomic models
DALTON’S MODEL (1803) - proposed that all matter
was composed of atoms, indivisible and
indestructible building blocks
THOMSON’S MODEL (1897) – PLUM PUDDING
MODEL: negatively charged “plums” surrounded by
positively charged “pudding”
RUTHERFORD’S MODEL (1909) - described the atom
as consisting of a tiny positive mass surrounded by
a cloud of negative electrons.
BOHR’S MODEL (1913) - modified the Rutherford
model by requiring that the electrons move in
orbits of fixed size and energy and can have stable
orbits around the nucleus

WAVE- MECHANICAL MODEL - a current theory

describing the locations of electrons in orbit
around the nucleus of an atom
ATOMIC STRUCTURE
• At present, how is it possible for us to see atoms? If they are very tiny to be seen.
M C R O I S C E O P MICROSCOPE

• In 1896, J.J. Thomson discovered the electrons and realized that electrons were much
smaller than atoms (at least 100 times lighter than Hydrogen atom). He (correctly)
guessed that electrons were part of atoms and suggested that atoms were made up
entirely of electrons, spinning and stuck together (Plum pudding Model – electrons stuck or
embedded on a positively charged pudding)
• In 1910, Ernest Rutherford and his colleagues discovered that every atom has a tiny
positive central nucleus surrounded by largely empty space and are circle by tiny
electrons. Electrons are attracted to nucleus (electrostatic attraction) that’s why they
don’t fall off. (Rutherford’s Model or Planetary Model)
• Some scientists argued that, there must be other particles in an atom with an equal
amount of positive charge to make it neutral. Since electrons have little mass the
positive charge should account for most of atom’s mass.
A breakthrough in 1932

• This had cleared come arguments of the scientists. Another

particle was discovered.

JAMES CHADWICK discovered NEUTRON

Plum pudding was REFUTED

• Plum pudding model wasn’t successful because of the works

done by the New Zealander Ernest Rutherford and his
colleagues (Geiger and Marsden) that refuted or disproved
the work of Thomson 10 years after the discovery of
electrons
What happened in their
investigation?
Know them first: Alpha, Beta particles and
Gamma ray

Alpha particles - have high kinetic energy but

have greatest mass with 2 protons and 2 neutrons
emitted by atomic nucleus during decay
Beta particles - an electron emitted by atomic
nucleus during decay (high-energy electron
leaves)
Gamma ray – electromagnetic radiation emitted
by atomic nucleus during decay
FACT: Ernest Rutherford
discovered and named
Alpha particles were used.. alpha and beta particles
after studying the
properties of radioactive
decay (of a Uranium).
• RADIOACTIVITY had been discovered at about the Also named the “gamma
same time as the electron (1899) using thin sheets rays” in 1903
of metal foil.

• He understood that the alpha, beta and gamma

radiation that came from the radioactive
substance was the result of changes happening in
individual atoms.

• He thought of using the tiny particles or ray that

are being ejected from the atoms to investigate Father of Nuclear
other atoms. He then used ALPHA radiation to Physics
probe the atoms in a sample gold.
What is ALPHA RADIATION?

• Consists of tiny, fast moving positively charged

particles.
• Alpha particles are commonly emitted by all of
the larger radioactive nuclei such as uranium,
thorium, actinium, and radium, as well as the
transuranic elements.
• Geiger and Marsden used alpha radiation that was
directed at a thin gold foil as they set up an
experiment, they thought they will be deflected
but they were surprised seeing most to pass
through and few bounced back towards the
source. (Rutherford scattering)
Undeflected (passed through particles and
Back-scattered (bounced back)
• Why did this happen?
Rutherford realized that it is all because of static
electricity.. There is something in the atoms of
gold that repelled the positive particles.
The positive charge of the gold atoms were
concentrated in a tiny space within each atom and
this is what the back-scattered particles have met.
While the undeflected particles have passed
straight because they never went to the
concentrated area but at (electrons)
- The speck of concentrated positive charge at the
heart of every atom is now what we call “nucleus”
A sense of scale

• Atom size: 10-10 m across

• Nucleus: 10-15 m in diameter
• Electrons: travel around the nucleus and
tinier than nucleus
• Rest of the atom: simply empty space

Imagine a marble to represent the nucleus and

dust travelling around as electrons.. (atom
representation)
A successful MODEL

• His discovery of the nucleus and by

refuting Thomson’s model through Alpha
scattering or Rutherford scattering had
caused the existence of His model known
as the Planetary model.. This has gained
acceptance among scientists.
• His work has helped a lot of things to
understand better and has paved way to
make new predictions.

• And the winner is… Rutherford’s model!

Homework #1: Answer on your notebook.
PROTONS, NEUTRONS AND ELECTRONS

Protons are the positively

charged

Neutrons are neutral

Electrons are the

negatively charged

Note: Relative Charge and Relative

Nucleons: term used for Mass show the mass and charge of
both protons and neutrons each particle as compared to proton
Atoms and Elements

Shows lightest to heaviest atoms

Not the masses of atoms that

determine but the NUMBER OF
PROTONS

Each element has its own symbol

(consisting of one or two letters)
GENERAL SYMBOL OF ELEMENT AND ANALYSIS

A nuclide (nuclear species) is a

distinct kind of atom or nucleus
characterized by a specific
number of protons and
neutrons. The word nuclide was
Also: Number or protons =
proposed by Truman P. Kohman
Number of electrons
in 1947
Homework #2:
Answer the following
Elements and ISOTOPES
• Due to the varying number of neutrons in each
element (nuclide or nuclear species), atoms of
all elements exist in more than one form
(versions)
• From Z(proton number) and A(nucleon number)
= works out a third number (neutron number N)
which is the number of neutrons in the nucleus.
• Each element has stable number of protons but
they have different numbers of neutrons. (Ex.
Hydrogen had just one proton but they have
different number of neutrons 0, 1 and 2) These
are described as different ISOTOPES of
Hydrogen
ISOTOPE PROPERTIES

1. The different isotopes of an

element all have same chemical
properties, but those with a
greater number of neutrons are
heavier

2. The different isotopes of an

element all have the same number
of protons but different number of
neutrons in their nuclei.
ISOTOPES AT WORK
• For most chemical elements, at least one isotope is
stable; however other isotopes may be UNSTABLE.
• By being UNSTABLE – they will undergo RADIOACITVE
DECAY (emitting radiation) as they change from one
element to another.
• Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear
decay, radioactivity, radioactive
disintegration or nuclear disintegration) is the
process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses
energy by radiation. A material containing
unstable nuclei is considered radioactive. Three of the
most common types of decay are alpha decay, beta
decay, and gamma decay
Homework #3: List down 5 elements with
their isotopes

•Place it in a table or you

may have a diagrams for
this. See examples
previously for reference.
Homework #4: Answer the following
FINAL PROJECT: MAKING YOUR OWN WEBSITE

• From all the topics that we have discussed, choose 2 topics (per person) then
create a PHYSICS WEBSITE. You can freely choose 3-5 members in one website
or you may want to do it alone.
• Again, 1 person = 2 topics. (3 members = 6 topics)
• Search through some website creators like weebly, googlesite where you will
make one.
• Make your websites as interactive as you can!
• Send to me the link of your website on or before May 24, 2020
• Make sure you website has Greetings, Objectives, Content, Interactive
games/questions etc…
IS RADIATION UBIQUITOUS?
RADIATION EXAMPLES:
Damaging Is it harmful or • ultraviolet light from the sun.
(small or big-
scale) beneficial? • heat from a stove burner.
• visible light from a candle.
• x-rays from an x-ray machine.
transforming Or both? • alpha particles emitted from
the radioactive decay of
Cancer beating A FRIEND OR AN uranium.
/ life • sound waves from your stereo.
threatening ENEMY? • microwaves from a microwave
Made life oven.
effective and • electromagnetic radiation from
efficient your cell phone
• Atomic bombing
Radioactive substance vs. Radiation

• If a radioactive substance gets inside us,

its radiation can harm us – we say that we Some examples of
have been CONTAMINATED
radioactive substances
– Titrium for hydrogen,
• If the radiation they produce hit our
bodies, we receive dose of radiation – we
Iridium –192, Cobalt-
have been IRRADIATED 60, Californium-157,
Radon gas and the
likes.
WHAT IS BACKGROUND RADIATION?

Low levels or small

amount of radiation that
we get exposure all the
time due to the presence
of radioactive materials
in the environment.
SOURCES OF NATURAL BACKGROUND
RADIATION
1. RADON – radioactive gas in air from radioactive
uranium rocks underground then released into the air
that we breathe (varies in countries – depending on the
amount of uranium in their underlying rocks)
2. Ground also contains radioactive substances
3. Food and drink is also slightly radioactive
4. Cosmic rays (sun, stars etc) – higher altitude
(mountains) more exposure)
SOURCES OF ARTIFICIAL RADIATION

1.X-rays and gamma rays for seeing inside the

body
2.Radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells
3.Atomic bombings or detonations
4.Nuclear power plants
5.Medical radiographers
DETECTING RADIATION
• Discovered by Henri Becquerel in 1896.
• As he had been investigating some phosphorescent
rocks - rocks that glow for a while after they have
been left under a bright light.
• Then he put it in a dark drawer on a piece of a
photographic film to record the light it emitted. GEIGER-MULLER TUBE/COUNTER
- For quicker measurement of
• Surprisingly, he discovered that the film was blackened radiation
even when rock had not been exposed to bright light.
How does it work?
• He realized that some kind of invisible radiation was - Held close to a suspected source
coming from Uranium. The longer he left it, the darker - Radiation enters the tube, produces
it became. an electric pulse every time it
detects any radiation and can give
• “Uranium” gives out radiation all the time, without any
click or beep for each
obvious supply of energy. - Usually or regularly used in checking
• This method has become one of the ways of revealing the samples from air, soil,
vegetation and water 20km around a
the presence of invisible radiation.
nuclear power station
The RANDOMNESS OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY

• Radioactive decay is a random process..

(so the clicks and beeps of Geiger counter can
not give you right prediction of when will the
next sound(decay) come

• ATOMS DECAY RANDOMLY OVER SPACE AND

TIME.
Homework #5: Answer the following
Why some atoms radioactive while others are
not?
• About 4500 million years ago, there were more radioactive
atoms around. However, as years passed most have decayed
and have become STABLE.

• On the other hand, those which are left UNSTABLE has to go

through the process of RADIOACTIVE DECAY.

• So with that being said, background radiation also was higher

in the distant past.
RADIOACTIVITY/ RADIOACTIVE DECAY

• Radioactivity is the act of emitting

radiation spontaneously..

Why does this happen?

done by an atomic nucleus that, for some
reason, is unstable; it "wants" to give up
some energy in order to shift to a more
stable state – the element could change
into an isotope of the element or a brand
new element.
3 TYPES OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY

Alpha decay – element changes, 2

protons and 2 neutrons are shed or
given (alpha particles)

Gamma decay – same

element, nucleus lowers its
energy

Beta decay – element changes; one of the neutrons

changes into a proton making the electron leaves and
increases the atomic number of element
EXAMPLES OF RADIOACTIVITY
Alpha, Beta and Gamma
Homework #6: Answer the following
PENETRATING POWER
• Alpha particle – LOW PENETRATING
POWER (most easily absorbed, travel
about 5cm in air and can be absorbed
by a thin sheet of paper)

• Beta particle – MEDIUM (travels fairly

easily through air or paper. Absorbed
by a few millimeters of metal)

• Gamma radiation –HIGH (most

penetrating, takes several centimeters
of dense metal like lead or several
meters of concrete
ENERGY RELEASED

• Radioactive substance releases ENERGY when they DECAY. Energy

that is before stored in the nucleus of an atom.

• When energy is released it will be in two forms:

a. alpha and beta particles are both fast moving, the nucleus that
has emitted it recoils. Both particles have kinetic energy.
b. a gamma ray transfers energy as electromagnetic radiation
(photon)
IONISATION
• Ionisation is the process of knocking electrons off the atom to
make it charged. (this happens when radiation passes through air and
interacts with air molecules)
• We say molecules have become IONISED.
• Since the radiation from radioactive substances causes ionization of the materials –
IONISING RADIATION.
TYPES OF IONISIING RADIATION
1) ALPHA PARTICLE – MOST IONISING (slowly moving and has largest charge so it is
easily absorbed and least penetrating)
2) BETA PARTICLE – MODERATELY IONISING (charge is less than alpha and moves faster –
so it would just travel faster through air without being absorbed
3) GAMMA RAY – LEAST IONISING (uncharged and moves fastest so it is least absorbed in
airand most penetrating)
4) X-rays – has less energy and longer wavelength than gamma ray and can ionize
materials as well (produced by X-ray machines, stars and so on..)
Types of IONISING RADIATION in an image
SAFE HANDLING
• Radioactive substances should be STORED in a
container that will absorb as much as possible of the
radiation coming from them. Lead is a good material
for this as it is a strong absorber of all three types.

• When sources are not in their protective container,

you can use TONG to avoid contamination and so
that the user does not come into direct contact.

• During any experiment, the user should STAND at a

safe DISTANCE from the source.
RADIOACTIVE DECAY EQUATION
Homework #7: Answer the following.
Deflecting Radiation
Beta (-) – attracted
by positive plate

Gamma - uncharged
Alpha (+) –
attracted by
negative plate

Alpha and Beta are charged so they constitute an

electric current but due to their opposite signs
their MAGNETIC FIELD WILL BE deflected in an
OPPOSITE direction.
Homework #8: Answer the following
Homework #8: Radiation: Friend or Enemy?

1. Give 4 examples on how Radiation has become an ENEMY to

people and environment?
2. Give 4 examples on how radiation has become a FRIEND to
people and environment?
3. Personally, is Radiation your friend or your enemy? Why?
4. Show the alpha decay of Radon and Thorium
5. Show the Beta decay of Carbon and Iodine
6. Show the Gamma decay of Nickel and Magnsium
RADIOACTIVE DECAY
• Radioactive substances have
different length of decay
• Some takes every gradual decay
(years) and some have very quick
(less than/or a microsecond)

HALF LIFE – average time taken for half

of the atoms in a sample to decay

Examples:
Uranium – 800 years
Neptunium – 3 seconds
Plutonium – 5730 years
Americium – 740 milliseconds
Process in decay
Calculating Bq

Unit: becquerels (Bq)

Number of atoms that decay each

second
Let’s Practice!
LET’S
ANSWER!
Radioisotopes

• Unstable radioactive isotopes are called RADIOISOTOPES

Examples:
Carbon-14 (carbon dating)
Phosphorus-32 and Phosphorus-33 (research in biology and genetics)
Selenium-75 (protein studies)
Strontium-85 (metabolism and bone formation studies)
Hydrogen-3or Titrium (study life science and drug metabolism)
Effects of Radioisotopes on Cells

• NECROSIS (traumatic cell death): Intense dose of radiation

could kill cell.
• CANCER: Radiation could damage DNA in the cell then breaks
down the mechanism. May divide uncontrollably and forms
tumor causing cancer.
• GENETIC MUTATION: if gamete(sperm and egg) is affected and
its DNA is damaged, this can be passed on to next generation
causing mutation. (egg cell may not develop at all or baby will
experience disorder)
Radioisotopes at work
1. Uses related to their different penetrating powers
1.a. Smoke Detectors (alpha radiation)
1.b. Thickness measurement (beta radiation)
1.c. Medical diagnosis (gamma radiation)
1.d. Fault detection (gamma radiation)
2. Uses related to cell damage
2.a. Radiation Therapy (gamma ray or x-ray)
2.b. Food irradiation (intense gamma ray)
2.c. Sterilisation (gamma radiation)
3. Uses related to detectability
3.a. Radioactive tracing (use of Geiger counter to detect radiation)
3.b. Radioactive labelling and genetic fingerprinting (radioactively labelled chemicals)
4. Uses related to radioactive decay
4.a. Half-life or Radiocarbon dating (radioisotopes)
Thank you for your patience. I’m so happy we’re
able to reach the end of our curriculum plan!

For your last task, you final term project! Let’s

get it on!

I’m happy serving you all for 2 school-years.

‘Til we meet again! 