A Level Physics 9702, topic 23.2

Radioactive decay: past paper questions

13 Cambridge A Level Physics 9702 questions on Radioactive decay (23.2) from 13 papers, 2023 to 2026. Open the paper or try a question free.

Practise this topic Try one question free

Practising builds a set from this topic, free with an account. One question opens straight away, with no account.

Questions: 13
Papers: 13
Years: 2023 to 2026
Total marks: 123
Average per question: 9.5 marks
Largest question: 12 marks

By type: Structured 13

What the syllabus asks

understand that fluctuations in count rate provide evidence for the random nature of radioactive decay
understand that radioactive decay is both spontaneous and random
define activity and decay constant, and recall and use A = λN
define half-life
use λ = 0.693/t 1 – 2
understand the exponential nature of radioactive decay, and sketch and use the relationship x = x0e–λt , where x could represent activity, number of undecayed nuclei or received count rate

How hard the questions are

Recall0
Apply2
Analyse11
Not banded0

Derived from the command word Cambridge prints in each question, banded by a fixed table beside the syllabus's own definitions. A question printing no command word is unbanded: unknown, not middling.

Command words

stateRecall11 questions
express in clear terms
explainAnalyse9 questions
set out purposes or reasons/make the relationships between things evident/provide why and/or how and support with relevant evidence
determineApply8 questions
establish an answer using the information available
defineRecall6 questions
give precise meaning
calculateApply4 questions
work out from given facts, figures or information
suggestAnalyse4 questions
apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses in order to make proposals
useApply4 questions
sketchApply3 questions
make a simple freehand drawing showing the key features
show thatApply2 questions
completeApply1 question

Where the questions come from

By year

20262
20253
20245
20233

By session

May/June7
Oct/Nov6

By paper

Paper 413

Questions on this topic

Showing 8 of 13, spread across the years. Open one to write your answer and have it marked.

Question 9May/June 2026, paper 41Structured9 marks
Define the mass defect of a nucleus.
Try this question
Question 8Oct/Nov 2025, paper 41Structured11 marks
State what is meant by a photon.
Try this question
Question 9Oct/Nov 2024, paper 41Structured10 marks
Fluorine-18 ( $_{9}^{18} F$ ) decays by beta-plus ( $β^{+}$ ) emission with a half-life of 110 minutes. State the name of the beta-plus particle.
Try this question
Question 9Oct/Nov 2023, paper 42Structured12 marksHas a diagram
Fluorine-18 ( $_{9}^{18} F$ ) is a radioactive nuclide that is used as a tracer in positron emission tomography (PET scanning).
Try this question
Question 10Oct/Nov 2024, paper 42Structured8 marks
Radioactive decay is both random and spontaneous. State what is meant by random.
Try this question
Question 9May/June 2023, paper 41Structured9 marksHas a diagram
Carbon-11 is radioactive and decays by $β^{+}$ emission to form boron-11. Carbon-11 has a half-life of 20 minutes. Boron-11 is stable.
Try this question
Question 10May/June 2025, paper 42Structured9 marksHas a diagram
Radioactive decay is a spontaneous process. State the meaning, in this context, of the term spontaneous.
Try this question
Question 9May/June 2024, paper 41Structured8 marksHas a diagram
Define half-life of a radioactive isotope.
Try this question