The Physics Question Bank

Use a sharp pencil and a ruler. Give each diagram a title and label it with ruled label lines. Tap 🔍 See examples to see how the diagram usually looks – pictures online vary, so if one disagrees with the instructions, follow the instructions. ← All key diagrams

38. Nuclear model of the atom
Draw a small nucleus in the centre as a cluster of circles. Mark the protons with + and leave the neutrons blank (or write n). Draw two or three circular shells around it, and put small dots marked − on the shells for electrons. Label: “nucleus – protons and neutrons, almost all the mass”, “proton (+1)”, “neutron (0)”, “electron (−1) in energy levels”, “atom radius about 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ m”.
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39. Plum pudding model
Draw a large circle and lightly shade it or write + signs all over it. Dot small circles marked − evenly throughout it. Label: “ball of positive charge”, “negative electrons embedded in it”, “proposed after the electron was discovered”.
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40. Alpha scattering experiment
Draw a vertical line of four or five circles (gold nuclei), with small dots between them. Draw alpha particles coming in from the left as horizontal arrows. Show most arrows passing straight through, a few bending slightly as they pass near a nucleus, and one bouncing straight back after heading directly at a nucleus. Label: “most pass straight through – atom is mostly empty space”, “some deflected – nucleus is positive”, “a very few bounce back – mass concentrated in a tiny nucleus”.
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41. Electron energy levels
Draw a nucleus with three circular energy levels around it. Draw an electron on the inner level with a wavy arrow coming in labelled “absorbs EM radiation” and a straight arrow moving it out to a higher level. Next to it, draw a second version where the electron drops back down, with a wavy arrow going out labelled “emits EM radiation”. Label: “higher energy level = further from the nucleus”.
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42. Penetration of alpha, beta and gamma
Draw a source on the left and three sheets side by side: paper, aluminium (a few mm) and lead (several cm). Draw three arrows from the source, labelled α, β and γ. Stop the alpha arrow at the paper, the beta arrow at the aluminium, and show the gamma arrow passing through all three but getting thinner through the lead. Label: “alpha – strongly ionising”, “beta – moderately ionising”, “gamma – weakly ionising, only reduced by lead”.
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43. Alpha decay equation
Write the nuclear equation for radium-226 decaying by alpha emission. Write radium with 226 at the top and 88 at the bottom, then an arrow, then radon with 222 at the top and 86 at the bottom, plus helium with 4 at the top and 2 at the bottom. Underneath, draw a nucleus breaking apart and a small cluster of two protons and two neutrons flying away. Label: “mass number − 4, atomic number − 2”, “top numbers balance, bottom numbers balance”.
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44. Half-life graph
Draw axes with “time (hours)” and “activity (Bq)”. Start at 800 Bq and draw a smooth curve that falls steeply at first and then levels off, getting closer to the time axis but never touching it. Draw dotted lines from 400 Bq and 200 Bq across to the curve and down to the time axis. Label: “one half-life” between the first two dotted lines, and “half-life = time for the activity to halve”.
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45. Geiger-Muller tube
Draw a radioactive source held in tongs on the left and a Geiger-Muller tube pointing at it on the right, connected by a wire to a counter showing a number. Draw a ruler between them. Label: “source”, “tongs – keep your distance”, “GM tube detects radiation”, “counter shows count-rate”. Add a note: “measure background count first and subtract it”.
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46. Fission chain reaction (S only)
Draw a small dot (neutron) with an arrow hitting a large circle labelled U-235. Show the large circle splitting into two medium circles (daughter nuclei), with three small dots flying off (neutrons). Draw each of these neutrons hitting another U-235 nucleus, which splits again. Label: “neutron absorbed”, “nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei”, “2 or 3 neutrons released”, “energy and gamma released”, “chain reaction”.
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47. Fusion (S only)
Draw two small nuclei (two hydrogen nuclei) with arrows moving towards each other. Draw an arrow to a single larger nucleus with a burst shape around it labelled “energy released”. Label: “two light nuclei join to form a heavier nucleus”, “some mass is converted into energy”, “the energy source of stars”.
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Check your drawings: Atomic structure topic page  |  Atoms and isotopes  |  Radioactive decay  |  Teach the topic: Atomic structure