Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · PHYSICS · Section
THE STABILITY OF ISOTOPES
20 practice questions
Practice questions
1–9 of 9 · Normal
Question 1
2 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Properties of two isotopes of neon Isotope Number of protons Number of neutrons Neon-20 10 10 Neon-22 10 12 Based on the data in the table, explain how Neon-20 and Neon-22 differ in terms of their nuclear stability.
Question 2
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Explain why adding too many neutrons or too few neutrons to a nucleus can make it unstable.
Question 3
1 mark · Normal
Answer and check →Which statement best describes a stable isotope?
- A.It has too many neutrons for its number of protons.
- B.It has no neutrons in its nucleus.
- C.It has a balanced number of protons and neutrons.
- D.It has more electrons than protons.
Question 4
2 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Explain how the presence of neutrons in the nucleus prevents the protons from repelling and breaking apart the nucleus.
Question 5
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →A student claims that all isotopes of hydrogen are equally stable. Use your knowledge of isotopes and nuclear forces to explain why this statement is not correct.
Question 6
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Explain why heavy elements like uranium have more neutrons than protons in their most stable isotope.
Question 7
4 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →The table below gives information about three isotopes of lithium.
Properties of lithium isotopes Isotope Protons Neutrons Lithium-6 3 3 Lithium-7 3 4 Lithium-8 3 5 (a)[1 mark]State, for all isotopes of lithium, what determines that they are all lithium atoms.
(b)[3 marks]Explain what effect increasing the number of neutrons has on the stability of the lithium nucleus. Use examples from the table.
Question 8
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →A student investigates two isotopes of boron: boron-10 and boron-12. Boron-10 is stable, but boron-12 decays quickly after it is produced.
Explain, in terms of neutrons and protons, why boron-12 is less stable than boron-10.
Question 9
1 mark · Normal
Answer and check →Which situation is most likely to make a nucleus unstable?
- A.Too few neutrons relative to protons
- B.More protons than neutrons
- C.A balanced number of neutrons and protons
- D.No protons in the nucleus