Nuclear Physics

4. the average time it takes for half the number of active nuclei in a sample of an isotope to decay.
8. a fundamental particle or antiparticle that is not affected by the strong nuclear force – for example, an electron
10. a process in which two smaller nuclei join together to form one larger nucleus.
11. the antiparticle of the electron.
13. the antimatter counterpart of a particle, with the opposite charge to the particle (if the particle has charge) and exactly the same rest mass as the particle.
14. a particle or antiparticle that is affected by the strong nuclear force, and, if charged, by the electromagnetic force – for example, a proton.
15. any hadron comprising a combination of a quark and an anti-quark.
18. _____ energy the minimum energy required to completely separate a nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons.
19. a positively charged particle, a hadron, found in the nucleus of atoms.

1. a process in which a large nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei after absorbing a neutron.
2. ________ nuclear force one of the four fundamental forces in nature, responsible for inducing beta-decay within unstable nuclei.
3. any hadron made with a combination of three quarks.
5. the rate at which nuclei decay or disintegrate in a radioactive source, measured in becquerels (Bq) or decays per second.
6. nuclei of the same element that have the same atomic number (number of protons) but different nucleon numbers (numbers of neutrons).
7. a lepton (a fundamental particle) that carries no charge and may have a tiny mass, less than a millionth the mass of an electron.
9. a particle in the nucleus of an atom, either a proton or a neutron.
12. an elementary particle that can exist in six forms (plus their antiparticles) and joins with other quarks to make up hadrons.
13. the complete destruction of a particle and its antiparticle in an interaction that releases energy in the form of identical photons.
16. ______ nuclear force one of the four fundamental forces in nature, acting on hadrons and holding nuclei together.
17. an electrically neutral particle, a hadron, found in the nucleus of atoms.