A2 Physics Module 3 Unit 2

Front 1

Nucleon

Back 1

A nuclear particle, that is either a proton or a neutron.

Front 2

Nucleon number

Back 2

The number of nucleons in any nucleus.

Front 3

Proton number

Back 3

The number of protons in a nucleus.

Front 4

Strong nuclear force

Back 4

The force between nucleons that holds the nucleus together. All particles that contain quarks can interact via strong nuclear force.

Front 5

Baryon

Back 5

A particle consisting of three quarks.

Front 6

Lepton

Back 6

A fundamental particle. For example an electron or a neutrino.

Front 7

Meson

Back 7

A short-lived particle comprised of a quark and anti-quark pair.

Front 8

Hadron

Back 8

A particle consisting of quarks (i.e. baryons and mesons).

Front 9

Weak interaction

Back 9

Interactions involving the weak nuclear force.

Front 10

Activity

Back 10

The number of radioactive decays per unit time(measured in Becquerels).

Front 11

Half-life

Back 11

The average time taken for the activity of a radioactive source to decrease to one half of its original value.

Front 12

Binding energy

Back 12

The energy required to seperate an atom into its component parts.

Front 13

Fusion

Back 13

The process of two nuclei joining together and releasing energy from a change in binding energy.

Front 14

Fission

Back 14

The process of splitting a large nucleus into two smaller nuclides, often with the emission of several neutrons. This releases energy because of the change in binding energy.

Front 15

Weak nuclear force

Back 15

The force that is responsible for beta decay. It occurs between leptons and during hadron decay.