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Nuclear and Particle Physics MCQs — Physics

330 multiple-choice questions on Nuclear and Particle Physics from Physics, each with the correct answer and, where available, a teacher's explanation. Read through them to revise the chapter, then practise the same questions one by one to test yourself.

1. An anti-hydrogen atom has:

  1. two neutrons
  2. a positron orbiting a proton
  3. a positron orbiting an antiproton
  4. an electron orbiting an antiproton

Answer: C) a positron orbiting an antiproton

Explanation: Antimatter atom. SLO P-11-F-24 · Understanding

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2. Accelerators help physicists to:

  1. discover new particles by colliding particles at high energy
  2. create permanent magnets
  3. build bridges
  4. measure the weather

Answer: A) discover new particles by colliding particles at high energy

Explanation: e.g. the Higgs boson. SLO P-11-F-23 · Understanding

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3. Antimatter was first predicted theoretically by:

  1. Isaac Newton
  2. Max Planck
  3. Paul Dirac
  4. Marie Curie

Answer: C) Paul Dirac

Explanation: 1928. SLO P-11-F-24 · Understanding

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4. Annihilation is the most efficient conversion of mass to energy because:

  1. only half the mass is converted
  2. it produces no photons
  3. it releases chemical energy
  4. all the rest mass is converted

Answer: D) all the rest mass is converted

Explanation: 100% conversion. SLO P-11-F-28 · Understanding

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5. If equal amounts of matter and antimatter had survived, the universe would:

  1. be twice as bright
  2. contain mostly radiation and no galaxies
  3. look the same
  4. be made of antimatter stars

Answer: B) contain mostly radiation and no galaxies

Explanation: They would have annihilated. SLO P-11-F-26 · Knowledge

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6. When matter and antimatter meet, they:

  1. annihilate, releasing energy
  2. form heavier matter
  3. repel without effect
  4. stick together permanently

Answer: A) annihilate, releasing energy

Explanation: Mass → energy. SLO P-11-F-24 · Understanding

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7. Neutrinos are very hard to detect because they:

  1. are very heavy
  2. interact extremely weakly with matter
  3. have large charge
  4. travel slowly

Answer: B) interact extremely weakly with matter

Explanation: Pass through the Earth. SLO P-11-F-10 · Knowledge

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8. In beta^- decay, a neutron (udd) becomes a proton with quarks:

  1. ddd
  2. udd
  3. uuu
  4. uud

Answer: D) uud

Explanation: One d to u. SLO P-11-F-15 · Knowledge

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9. The antimuon has charge:

  1. 0
  2. +2e
  3. -e
  4. +e

Answer: D) +e

Explanation: Opposite to the muon. SLO P-11-F-19 · Understanding

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10. In beta^+ decay, the quark change is:

  1. no change
  2. an up quark changes into a down quark
  3. a down quark changes into an up quark
  4. an up quark changes into a strange quark

Answer: B) an up quark changes into a down quark

Explanation: u to d + e^+ + nue. SLO P-11-F-15 · Knowledge

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11. The different particles in string theory correspond to:

  1. different masses of the same ball
  2. different modes of vibration of strings
  3. different temperatures
  4. different colours

Answer: B) different modes of vibration of strings

Explanation: Like notes on a guitar string. SLO P-11-F-22 · Understanding

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12. The cosmic microwave background shows that the early universe was:

  1. empty
  2. dominated by antimatter
  3. made of sound
  4. dominated by matter after annihilation ended

Answer: D) dominated by matter after annihilation ended

Explanation: Leftover photons from annihilation era. SLO P-11-F-26 · Knowledge

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13. The antineutrino in beta^- decay is needed to conserve:

  1. energy, momentum and lepton number
  2. charge only
  3. mass only
  4. nucleon number only

Answer: A) energy, momentum and lepton number

Explanation: Without it, these would not balance. SLO P-11-F-10 · Knowledge

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14. Which quark has the largest mass?

  1. top
  2. strange
  3. down
  4. up

Answer: A) top

Explanation: ≈ 173 GeV/c^2. SLO P-11-F-12 · Understanding

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15. A meson consists of:

  1. three quarks
  2. two leptons
  3. one quark and one antiquark
  4. three antiquarks

Answer: C) one quark and one antiquark

Explanation: e.g. pions and kaons. SLO P-11-F-14 · Knowledge

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16. Neutrinos are leptons with:

  1. charge +e
  2. charge -e and large mass
  3. large mass
  4. no charge and very small mass

Answer: D) no charge and very small mass

Explanation: Three flavours. SLO P-11-F-16 · Knowledge

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17. We know there are no large regions of antimatter near us because:

  1. antimatter is invisible
  2. antimatter is too heavy
  3. antimatter emits sound
  4. we don't see the gamma rays that would come from matter–antimatter annihilation at their boundaries

Answer: D) we don't see the gamma rays that would come from matter–antimatter annihilation at their boundaries

Explanation: Absence of annihilation signals. SLO P-11-F-26 · Knowledge

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18. The Higgs boson is associated with:

  1. the strong force between quarks
  2. the colour of quarks
  3. the electric charge of particles
  4. the mechanism that gives fundamental particles their mass

Answer: D) the mechanism that gives fundamental particles their mass

Explanation: Higgs field. SLO P-11-F-18 · Knowledge

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19. Trillions of neutrinos pass through your body every second, mostly from:

  1. nuclear fusion in the Sun
  2. mobile phones
  3. radio stations
  4. the Moon

Answer: A) nuclear fusion in the Sun

Explanation: Solar neutrinos. SLO P-11-F-10 · Knowledge

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20. Antimatter is made of:

  1. ordinary protons and electrons
  2. antiparticles such as positrons and antiprotons
  3. dark matter
  4. photons only

Answer: B) antiparticles such as positrons and antiprotons

Explanation: Counterpart of matter. SLO P-11-F-24 · Understanding

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21. The boson involved in beta^- decay is the:

  1. W^+
  2. W^-
  3. Z^0
  4. gluon

Answer: B) W^-

Explanation: d to u + W^-, then W^- to e^- + barnue. SLO P-11-F-15 · Knowledge

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22. The matter–antimatter asymmetry problem asks:

  1. why light is fast
  2. why the universe contains much more matter than antimatter
  3. why antimatter is heavier
  4. why gravity exists

Answer: B) why the universe contains much more matter than antimatter

Explanation: Baryogenesis. SLO P-11-F-27 · Understanding

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23. A proton and an antiproton, both at rest, annihilate. The total energy released is (c = 3 10^8 m/s):

  1. 1.5 10^-10 J
  2. 3.01 10^-10 J
  3. 6.01 10^-10 J
  4. 1 10^-18 J

Answer: B) 3.01 10^-10 J

Explanation: E = 2mc^2 = 2 1.67 10^-27 (3 10^8)^2 = 3.01 10^-10 J. SLO P-11-F-28 · Understanding

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24. Hadrons are held together by:

  1. the electromagnetic force only
  2. the strong force
  3. the weak force only
  4. gravity

Answer: B) the strong force

Explanation: Gluon exchange. SLO P-11-F-14 · Knowledge

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25. The antiproton has:

  1. twice the proton's charge
  2. the mass of a proton and a negative charge
  3. no charge
  4. the mass of an electron and a positive charge

Answer: B) the mass of a proton and a negative charge

Explanation: Antiparticle of the proton. SLO P-11-F-09 · Understanding

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