Fundamentals of Physics
10th Edition
ISBN: 9781118230718
Author: David Halliday
Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
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Chapter 43, Problem 21P
To determine
To calculate:
the rate at which thermal energy is generated when 1 kg of radionuclide 238Pu emits α-particles.
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The thermal energy generated when radiation from radionuclides is absorbed in matter can serve as the basis for a small power source for use in satellites, remote weather stations, and other isolated locations. Such radionuclides are manufactured in abundance in nuclear reactors and may be separated chemically from the spent fuel. One suitable radionuclide is 238Pu (T1/2 = 87.7 y), which is an alpha emitter with Q = 5.50 MeV. At what rate is thermal energy generated in 1.00 kg of this material?
The nuclear reactions are used to produce heat, which will vaporize the moderator and thus
producing some steam. That steam is then used to make turning a dynamo, producing electricity
(a nuclear plant can thus be seen as a weird steam machine). The fission reaction produces an
energy of 202.8 MeV. The heat capacity of 1 mol of water is 75.385 J/K.
1) How many fission reactions are needed in order to increase the temperature of 1 mol of
water from 65 degrees Fahrenheit to 232 degrees Fahrenheit?
2) Deduce from the previous question that one nuclear reaction allows vaporizing several
water molecules.
3) What is the consequence of this effect for the total volume of the reactor? Is it mostly
filled with fuel or water?
1.a. A 14-gram ovarian tumor is treated using a sodium phosphate solution in which the phosphorus atoms are the radioative phosphorus-32 isotope with a half-life of 14.3 days and which decays via beta emision (RBE=1) with an energy of 1.71 MeV. Half of the sodium phosphate is absorbed by the tumor and deposits 9.0 J energy into it. The other half of the solution is absorbed throughout the patient's tissues, also depositing 9.0 J of energy into the 50.0 kg of body tissues.
i. What is the dose ( in gray and rem) that the tumor receives?
ii. What is the dose ( in milligray and rem) that the rest of the tissues receives?
b. Photoelectrons from a material with a binding energy of 2.71 eV are ejected by 420-nm photons. Once ejected, how long does it take these electrons to travel 2.50cm to a detected device?
c.The heating element in an electric kettle is rated as 2.0kW. If the waterin the kettle is at 1000.0 oC, what volume of water will be converted in to steam in…
Chapter 43 Solutions
Fundamentals of Physics
Ch. 43 - Prob. 1QCh. 43 - Prob. 2QCh. 43 - Prob. 3QCh. 43 - Prob. 4QCh. 43 - Prob. 5QCh. 43 - Prob. 6QCh. 43 - Prob. 7QCh. 43 - Which of these elements is not cooked up by...Ch. 43 - Prob. 9QCh. 43 - Prob. 10Q
Ch. 43 - Prob. 11QCh. 43 - Prob. 12QCh. 43 - Prob. 1PCh. 43 - Prob. 2PCh. 43 - Prob. 3PCh. 43 - Prob. 4PCh. 43 - Prob. 5PCh. 43 - Prob. 6PCh. 43 - Prob. 7PCh. 43 - Prob. 8PCh. 43 - Prob. 9PCh. 43 - Prob. 10PCh. 43 - Prob. 11PCh. 43 - Prob. 12PCh. 43 - Prob. 13PCh. 43 - Prob. 14PCh. 43 - Prob. 15PCh. 43 - Prob. 16PCh. 43 - Prob. 17PCh. 43 - Prob. 18PCh. 43 - Prob. 19PCh. 43 - Prob. 20PCh. 43 - Prob. 21PCh. 43 - Prob. 22PCh. 43 - Prob. 23PCh. 43 - Prob. 24PCh. 43 - SSM a A neutron of mass mn and kinetic energy K...Ch. 43 - Prob. 26PCh. 43 - Prob. 27PCh. 43 - Prob. 28PCh. 43 - Prob. 29PCh. 43 - Prob. 30PCh. 43 - Prob. 31PCh. 43 - Prob. 32PCh. 43 - Prob. 33PCh. 43 - Prob. 34PCh. 43 - Prob. 35PCh. 43 - Prob. 36PCh. 43 - Prob. 37PCh. 43 - Prob. 38PCh. 43 - Prob. 39PCh. 43 - Prob. 40PCh. 43 - Prob. 41PCh. 43 - Prob. 42PCh. 43 - Prob. 43PCh. 43 - Prob. 44PCh. 43 - Prob. 45PCh. 43 - Prob. 46PCh. 43 - SSM WWW Coal burns according to the reaction...Ch. 43 - Prob. 48PCh. 43 - Prob. 49PCh. 43 - Prob. 50PCh. 43 - Prob. 51PCh. 43 - Prob. 52PCh. 43 - Prob. 53PCh. 43 - Prob. 54PCh. 43 - Prob. 55PCh. 43 - Prob. 56PCh. 43 - Prob. 57PCh. 43 - Prob. 58P
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- What is the dose in mSv for: (a) a 0.1 Gy xray? (b) 2.5 mGy of neutron exposure to the eye? (c) 1.5 mGy of exposure?arrow_forward(a) How many 239Pu nuclei must fission to produce a 20.0kT yield, assuming 200 MeV per fission? (b) What is the mass of this much 239Pu?arrow_forwardThe electrical power output of a large nuclear reactor facility is 900 MW. It has a 35.0% efficiency in converting nuclear power to electrical. (a) What is the thermal nuclear power output in megawatts? (b) How many 235U nuclei fission each second, assuming the average fission produces 200 MeV? (c) What mass of 235U is fissioned in one year of fullpower operation?arrow_forward
- Data from the appendices and the periodic table may be needed for these problems. Show that the activity of the 14C in 1.00 g of 12C found in living tissue is 0.250 Bq.arrow_forwardRadioactive Pm-147 decays by the release of a beta-particle with an averageenergy of 62.0 keV. A sample of Pm-147 serves as a radionuclide power source. It has anactivity of 4.64×105 Curies. How much thermal power in watts does the Pm-147 sampleproduce?arrow_forwardA living specimen in equilibrium with the atmosphere contains one atom of 14C (half-life = 5730 yr) for every 7.7 ✕ 1011 stable carbon atoms. An archeological sample of wood (cellulose, C12H22O11) contains 21.1 mg of carbon. When the sample is placed inside a shielded beta counter with 88.0% counting efficiency, 769 counts are accumulated in one week. Assuming that the cosmic-ray flux and the Earth's atmosphere have not changed appreciably since the sample was formed, find the age of the sample.answer in yeararrow_forward
- Cobalt-60 and iodine-131 are used in treatments for some types of cancer. Cobalt-60 decays with a half-life of 5.27 years, emitting beta particles with a maximum energy of 0.32 MeV. Iodine-131 decays with a half-life of8.04 days, emitting beta particles with a maximumenergy of 0.60 MeV.(a) Suppose a fixed small number of moles of each of these isotopes were to be ingested and remain in the body indefinitely. What is the ratio of the number of millisieverts of total lifetime radiation exposure that would be caused by the two radioisotopes?(b) Now suppose that the contact with each of these isotopes is for a fixed short period, such as 1 hour. What is the ratio of millisieverts of radiation exposure for the two in this case?arrow_forwardimagearrow_forwardThe isotope of Curium 242Cm has a half-life of 160 days and emits alpha particles with an energy 6.1MeV. What is the initial power emitted by a sample of 242Cm with a starting number of N0 = 1018 atoms?arrow_forward
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