Top answers

A stationary radium atom decays, emiting an alpha particle. Why is the recoil speed of the nucleus small compared to the alpha particle?

Initially the momentum is zero. Due to conservation of momentum, the alpha particle and radium nucleus must gain equal but opposite momentum. The mass of the radium nucleus is greater than the mass of the al...
DD
Answered by Daisy D. • Physics tutor
11272 Views

What does the term terminal velocity mean?

Terminal velocity is the constant speed (in a particular direction) a body reaches when the forces are balanced , i.e. acceleration = 0 m s -2 . An example of this is a ball bearing dropped in oil. ⬆ Resista...
DD
Answered by Daisy D. • Physics tutor
6401 Views

How do fossil fuel powered power stations and solar powered power stations generates electricity?

In fossil fuels powered power stations fossil fuels (such as coal) are burnt to generate heat. This heats is used to heat a large amount of water and turn it into steam. The movement of the steam causes turb...
SR
Answered by Sivarjuen R. • Physics tutor
4988 Views

Why does the temperature of a body stay constant during a change of state?

In order to answer this question it is important to remember that an atom has energy in two forms: kinetic (energy that allows the atom to move) and potential (energy that is stored in the bonds between each...
AB
Answered by Arthur B. • Physics tutor
4845 Views

What is constant acceleration?

The definition of acceleration is the rate of which an object's velocity changes. Acceleration = Change in Velocity ÷ Time Therefore, constant acceleration means the object is getting faster or slower at the...
EO
Answered by Emily O. • Physics tutor
9854 Views