Nuclear Models and Structure

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to nuclear models and the structure of atomic nuclei, helping to clarify important concepts for exam preparation.

Liquid Drop Model

A model of the nucleus that treats it like a drop of liquid, where nucleons are randomly clumped together.

Shell Model

A nuclear model that considers nucleons in shells, analogous to electrons in atomic orbitals.

Semi-Empirical Mass Formula (SEMF)

An equation used to approximate the binding energy of nuclides based on empirical data.

Binding Energy Per Nucleon

The amount of energy that holds a nucleon within a nucleus, expressed as energy per nucleon.

Strong Nuclear Force

The force that holds nucleons together within the nucleus, extremely strong but short-ranged.

Nucleons

The constituent particles of an atomic nucleus, including protons and neutrons.

Proton

A positively charged nucleon found in atomic nuclei.

Neutron

An electrically neutral nucleon found in atomic nuclei.

Magic Numbers

Specific numbers of protons or neutrons that result in unusually stable nuclei.

Optimal Neutron Number

The specific number of neutrons that maximizes the stability of a nuclide for a given number of protons.

Coulomb Repulsion

The repulsive force between positively charged protons in the nucleus.

Mass Defect

The difference in mass between a nucleus and the sum of the masses of its individual nucleons.

Q-value

The difference between the initial and final mass-energy in a nuclear reaction.

Nuclide

An atomic species characterized by its proton and neutron count.

Isotope

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.

Surface Term

A correction to binding energy that accounts for nucleons on the surface having fewer neighbors.

Volume Term

The component of binding energy that scales with the number of nucleons in the nucleus.

Pairing Energy

The additional binding energy associated with pairing of like nucleons in the nucleus.

Asymmetry Term

A correction in the binding energy to account for the imbalance in numbers of protons and neutrons.

Quantum Numbers

Numbers that describe the quantum state of a particle, including energy, angular momentum, and parity.