Fundamental particles: past paper questions

Where the questions come from

• Question 40Oct/Nov 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which particle is a lepton?

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• Question 38Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which particle is not a fundamental particle?

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• Question 38Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  An up quark in a hadron changes to a down quark. The elementary charge is $e$. What is the magnitude of the change in the charge of the hadron?

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• Question 40Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which statement is correct?

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• Question 40Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  Which combination of up (u) and down (d) quarks forms a neutron?

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• Question 32Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  There is a current in a resistor for a short time interval. Which statement about the total charge that passes through the resistor is correct?

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• Question 39Oct/Nov 2023, paper 13Multiple choice1 mark

  When a sample of a radioactive isotope decays by $\alpha$-particle emission, the $\alpha$-particles emitted have a single discrete energy.

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• Question 38May/June 2026, paper 13Multiple choice1 mark

  What is not a fundamental particle?

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2025, paper 21Structured9 marks

  The nuclide ${}_1^3\mathrm{H}$ is an isotope of hydrogen that is called tritium. Determine the numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons in a neutral atom of tritium.

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• Question 38Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  What is not a quark flavour?

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• Question 40Oct/Nov 2023, paper 13Multiple choice1 mark

  Some particles are a combination of three quarks. Which combination of quarks does not result in a particle with a charge of either $+1.6\times {10}^{-19}\text{ C}$ or zero?

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• Question 39May/June 2026, paper 13Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A nucleus undergoes ${\beta }^{+}$ decay. A neutrino and two other particles are produced in this decay. Which other two particles are produced?

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2025, paper 22Structured9 marks

  State what is meant by a fundamental particle.

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• Question 39Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  How many down quarks are in a nucleus of hydrogen-3, ${}_1^3\text{H}$?

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• Question 7Oct/Nov 2023, paper 21Structured8 marks

  The results of the $\alpha$-particle scattering experiment led to the development of the nuclear model for the atom. State the results that suggested that most of the mass of the atom is concentrated in a very small region and most of the atom is empty space.

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• Question 6May/June 2026, paper 22Structured9 marks

  One of the conclusions from the $\alpha$-particle scattering experiment was that the atom is mostly empty space. State the observation from the experiment that provides evidence for this conclusion.

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2025, paper 23Structured9 marks

  The nuclide ${}_1^3\text{H}$ is an isotope of hydrogen that is called tritium.

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• Question 40Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  An isotope of boron decays to beryllium by ${\beta }^{+}$ emission. Which particle is emitted in addition to the ${\beta }^{+}$ particle?

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• Question 7Oct/Nov 2023, paper 22Structured5 marks

  In the following list, underline all the particles that are not fundamental. antineutrino baryon nucleon positron

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• Question 5May/June 2026, paper 23Structured10 marks

  State what is meant by a meson.

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• Question 38May/June 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which list contains only fundamental particles?

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• Question 38Oct/Nov 2024, paper 13Multiple choice1 mark

  What is the rest mass of a beta-particle?

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• Question 8Oct/Nov 2023, paper 23Structured6 marksHas a diagram

  The nuclide ²³₁₂Mg is an isotope of magnesium that undergoes β^+ decay to form a new nuclide X according to the equation ²³₁₂Mg arrow ^(.....).....X +…

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• Question 39May/June 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which statement explains why alpha-particles have discrete energies, but beta-particles have a continuous range of energies?

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• Question 39Oct/Nov 2024, paper 13Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  What is the name of the group (class) of particles containing mesons, and the name of the group (class) of particles containing baryons?

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• Question 38May/June 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A proton has mass $m_p$ and charge $+e$. What are the mass and charge of an antiproton?

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• Question 40May/June 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which statement about a proton is correct?

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• Question 39May/June 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  What is the composition of a meson?

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2024, paper 21Structured7 marks

  Potassium-40 (${}_{19}^{40}\text{K}$) undergoes ${\beta }^{-}$ decay to form a nuclide of element X. Particle Z is emitted during the decay. The equation for the decay is shown.

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• Question 40May/June 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A nucleus of carbon-11 contains 6 protons and 5 neutrons. The nucleus of carbon-11 decays by ${\beta }^{+}$ emission. What is the total number of up and down quarks in the product of the decay of this nucleus?

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