Question 19M.2.HL.TZ1.a.iv
| Date | May 2019 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 2] | Reference code | 19M.2.HL.TZ1.a.iv |
| Level | HL | Paper | 2 | Time zone | TZ1 |
| Command term | Outline | Question number | a.iv | Adapted from | N/A |
A beam of electrons each of de Broglie wavelength 2.4 × 10–15 m is incident on a thin film of silicon-30 . The variation in the electron intensity of the beam with scattering angle is shown.
Outline why deviations from Rutherford scattering are observed when high-energy alpha particles are incident on nuclei.
[2]
nuclear forces act ✔
nuclear recoil occurs ✔
significant penetration into nucleus / probing internal structure of individual nucleons ✔
incident particles are relativistic ✔
Candidates struggled with this question. The vast majority of responses were descriptions of Rutherford scattering with no connection made to the deviations when high-energy alpha particles are used. Many of the candidates who did appreciate that this was a different situation from the traditional experiment made vague comments about the alpha particles “hitting” the nucleus.
