Ask Question
14 July, 07:31

An alpha particle (a helium nucleus, consisting of two protons and two neutrons) has a radius of approximately 1.6 * 10-15 m. A certain heavy nucleus contains 79 protons in addition to all its neutrons and has a radius of approximately 5.8 * 10-15 m. An alpha particle is shot directly from a large distance at such a resting heavy nucleus.

What is the initial momentum of the alpha particle?

+4
Answers (1)
  1. 14 July, 07:57
    0
    9.96x10^-20 kg-m/s

    Explanation:

    Momentum p is the product of mass and velocity, i. e

    P = mv

    Alpha particles, like helium nuclei, have a net spin of zero. Due to the mechanism of their production in standard alpha radioactive decay, alpha particles generally have a kinetic energy of about 5 MeV, and a velocity in the vicinity of 5% the speed of light.

    From this we calculate the speed as

    v = 5% 0f 3x10^8 m/s (speed of light)

    v = 1.5x10^7 m/s

    The mass of an alpha particle is approximately 6.64*10-27 kg

    Therefore,

    P = 1.5x10^7 x 6.64*10^-27

    P = 9.96x10^-20 kg-m/s
Know the Answer?
Not Sure About the Answer?
Find an answer to your question 👍 “An alpha particle (a helium nucleus, consisting of two protons and two neutrons) has a radius of approximately 1.6 * 10-15 m. A certain ...” in 📗 Physics if the answers seem to be not correct or there’s no answer. Try a smart search to find answers to similar questions.
Search for Other Answers