Nuclear physics is the study of the nucleus and the radiation it can emit. It has five skills: identifying radiation, reading half-life graphs, balancing nuclear equations, comparing fission and fusion, and discussing applications and risks.
This page sits under SPM Physics. It shows the order to study, one short example, and where to begin.
How do the lessons connect?
The type of radiation comes first, because it decides what an equation looks like and what a half-life graph is measuring.
- Distinguishing types of radiation
- Interpreting half-life graphs
- Balancing simple nuclear equations
- Comparing fission and fusion conceptually
- Discussing applications and risks without handling materials
What does one example look like?
A worked example: radium-226 decays by emitting an alpha particle. An alpha particle is a helium nucleus, with nucleon number 4 and proton number 2.
The equation conserves both numbers: ²²⁶₈₈Ra → ²²²₈₆Rn + ⁴₂He. The nucleon numbers 226 = 222 + 4 and the proton numbers 88 = 86 + 2.
If a sample of this isotope had a half-life of 1 600 years, then after 3 200 years (two half-lives) one quarter of the original nuclei would remain. One fact about radiation, one equation and one graph idea appear in a single example.
Who should start where?
- You mix up alpha, beta and gamma: start with types of radiation.
- You can name the radiation but equations do not balance: start with nuclear equations.
- Half-life questions confuse you: start with half-life graphs.
- You mix up fission and fusion: start with the comparison lesson.
Test yourself with the nuclear physics practice set.
Need a teacher to find the gap?
A teacher can ask you one question from each of the five lessons and find the gap in a short session. If you would like that, see online one-to-one Physics tuition and the one-hour trial class (from RM50).