Question

Four engineers propose designs for door locks that are triggered by a sample of

Answer 1

Question:

A. Engineer A: "When the sample alpha decays, it will give off alpha particles. These will

trigger a photosensor (a device that senses forms of light) that will open the lock."

B. Engineer B: "When the sample alpha decays, it only releases large amounts of heat.

This will trigger a thermometer that will open the lock."

C. Engineer C: "When the sample alpha decays, it will lose mass, This will trigger a scale

that will open the lock."

D. Engineer D: "When the sample alpha decays, it will give off negatively charged alpha

particles. Because alpha particles are electrons, they will complete a circuit that will

open the lock."

Answer:

The correct option is;

A. Engineer A: "When the sample alpha decays, it will give off alpha particles. These will trigger a photosensor ( a device that senses forms of light) that will open the lock"

Explanation:

Here, we note that in alpha decay (α-decay) there is an emission of an alpha particle or helium nucleus with the transformation of the parent element nucleus into that of a different element, having reduced mass and atomic numbers

Alpha particles are a form of ionizing radiation with a mass of 6.64 × 10⁻²⁷ kg and therefore they can be sensed by a photo sensor but will be slowly sensed by a scale.