[ RadSafe ] Flawed Test Questions.....Calling all teachers/profs

[Jerry]

Sorry Joe.  I agree with Jake.  These are bad questions.  For instance, in question 1, if the "foreign particle" has any charge, there will be an induced EMF on it and on the nucleus.  Why include such a possible answer?

Jerry

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 9, 2013, at 8:40 AM, Joseph Shonka <jjshonka at shonka.com> wrote:

> Jake
> 
> I think these are trying to be tricky questions that separate "thinkers"
> from "reactors";)
> 
> While your interpretation is correct, the clue to the first question is in
> the words "artificial" and "natural".  How can you have a "natural"
> transmutation when bombarding a nucleus?  That has to be the trick.  The
> correct answer has to be b, an artificial transmutation.  While I agree
> with you that it could either be transmutation or fusion, the fusion
> reaction was not included in the choices of answers.  I don't like the how
> it is phrased any bettter than you, but you have to work with what you
> have.  As for the second question, the only stable isotope of Cesium is
> 133.  Thus the person writing the question is asking what is the only
> isotope in the listing of Cesium, the answer I expect is c, 13555Cs.
> 
> Good luck.  I agree these questions are not worded as well as they should
> be, but I think the intent can be inferred from the answers provided.
> 
> Joe Shonka
> 
> On Wed, Apr 3, 2013 at 3:17 PM, Jake Hecla <jakehecla at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Hello Radsafe- I am a student interested in nuclear physics, and I am in a
>> bit of a conundrum regarding a test I recently took that I believe has
>> fundamentally flawed questions. While I realize this isn't a board to turn
>> to for help in schooling, I am concerned the writer of these AP Physics
>> practice tests (not my teacher, they're from an online teacher resource
>> site) has no idea what he's doing, and is severely screwing up our
>> education. I am looking for people ( teachers/professors especially) who
>> have a bit more experience here to review these questions and let me know
>> if you see the same flaws that I do. I have attached photos of the
>> questions as proof, but I'm typing them out to make them easy to read.
>> 
>> Questions:
>> 
>> 1.  Which of the following is likely to be induced by bombarding a nucleus
>> with foreign particles?
>> 
>> a)      an EMF
>> 
>> b)      an artificial transmutation
>> 
>> c)       a natural transmutation
>> 
>> d)      a gamma emission
>> 
>> e)      a fusion reaction
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -If I’m not mistaken, doesn’t it vary based on the particle, the energy and
>> the nucleus? For example, if the target was tritium and you bombarded it
>> with deuterium, wouldn’t you expect a fusion reaction rather than a
>> “transmutation?” Conversely, if it was a heavier nucleus prone to absorbing
>> a neutron, wouldn’t it then be more likely to be a transmutation?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 7. Which of the following is an isotope of 13355 Cs ?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> a)      12354Xe
>> 
>> b)      13353I
>> 
>> c)       13555Cs
>> 
>> d)      17087Fr
>> 
>> e)      21186Rn
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -I believe this question is fundamentally flawed. How can you have an
>> isotope of a given isotope?
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
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