plumiHow can radioactive materials be used safely?: OCR GCSE Physics B questions
Every OCR GCSE Physics B exam question on P5.2 How can radioactive materials be used safely?, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.
Paper
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Calculations
Q6(b)(i)
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Q6(b)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q5(c)
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Q6(c)(i)
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Q6(c)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q6(d)
The whole paper ↗Q6(e)
The whole paper ↗Q10(c)(i)
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Q10(c)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q10(c)(iii)
The whole paper ↗Q6(c)(ii)
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Q13(a)
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Q13(b)
The whole paper ↗Q13(c)
The whole paper ↗Q3(a)
The whole paper ↗
Q3(b)
The whole paper ↗Q3(c)
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All 40 questions on How can radioactive materials be used safely?, as a list
- June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b)(i) (2 marks): Complete the sentence about this risk. Use words from the list. contaminated irradiated neutral undecayed If the radium nuclei get into broken skin on a person’
- June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b)(ii) (2 marks): The radium emits alpha and gamma radiation. Suggest one safety precaution that can be taken for each type of radiation. Safety precaution to lower the risk from
- June 2025, Paper 3 Higher, Q5(c) (2 marks): Handling the notebook is hazardous to health. Compare how hazardous handling the notebook was 100 years ago to how hazardous it is today. [2]
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(c)(i) (1 mark): There is no lead shielding on the syringe. Give a reason why this is safe. [1]
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(c)(ii) (1 mark): Why is radium‑223 far more effective at destroying unwanted tissue than beta or gamma‑emitters? Tick (3) one box. Alpha radiation is less harmful. Alpha radiati
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(d) (2 marks): Gamma emitting radioactive isotopes are used for scanning bones to check if the treatment was successful. Table 6.1 shows some information about three isotopes
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(e) (2 marks): Table 6.2 shows three possible things that can happen after a bone scan. Show whether the statement describes an example of contamination or irradiation. Tick (
- June 2024, Paper 3 Higher, Q10(c)(i) (1 mark): Explain why the alpha radiation causes more damage to body tissues in the patient than the gamma radiation. [1]
- June 2024, Paper 3 Higher, Q10(c)(ii) (1 mark): Which radiation presents the most risk to the medical staff who give this treatment? Tick (3) one box. Explain your answer. Alpha particles Gamma radiation Expl
- June 2024, Paper 3 Higher, Q10(c)(iii) (1 mark): Suggest one way the risk to the medical staff can be minimised. [1]
- June 2024, Paper 4 Higher, Q6 (6 marks): 6* External beam radiotherapy is a method which uses radiation to treat cancer inside the body. Path of radiation beam Cancer inside the body The table describe
- June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q6(c)(ii) (2 marks): Suggest two precautions Ling should take while doing experiments with radioactive materials. 1. 2. [2]
- June 2022, Paper 1 Foundation, Q13(a) (3 marks): Describe why gamma rays can be used to treat cancer using the method shown in the diagram. [3]
- June 2022, Paper 1 Foundation, Q13(b) (2 marks): Ben’s cancer is treated using gamma rays. Ben After the radiotherapy I will be contaminated with radiation. Explain why Ben is wrong. [2]
- June 2022, Paper 1 Foundation, Q13(c) (1 mark): X-rays can also be used for radiotherapy. X-rays are produced electrically using a machine. Suggest an advantage of treating cancer using X-rays instead of gamm
- June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q12 (6 marks): 12* The table shows the half-life and penetration power of some isotopes, A to E. Isotope Half-life Penetration power A 5 years Reduced by thick lead B 5 hours
- June 2022, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(a) (3 marks): Describe why gamma rays can be used to treat cancer using the method shown in the diagram. [3]
- June 2022, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(b) (2 marks): Ben’s cancer is treated using gamma rays. Ben After the radiotherapy I will be contaminated with radiation. Explain why Ben is wrong. [2]
- June 2022, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(c) (1 mark): X-rays can also be used for radiotherapy. X-rays are produced electrically using a machine. Suggest an advantage of treating cancer using X-rays instead of gamm
- June 2022, Paper 4 Higher, Q2 (6 marks): 2* The table shows the half-life and penetration power of some isotopes, A to E. Isotope Half-life Penetration power A 5 years Reduced by thick lead B 5 hours S
- November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q11(b) (2 marks): Explain how Amaya could find out if the radiation that she detects is alpha radiation. [2]
- November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q11(d) (1 mark): Suggest why people still eat nuts, even though they know that some types are slightly radioactive. [1]
- November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q7(a) (2 marks): A patient is injected with a medical tracer. A medical tracer contains a radioactive isotope that emits radiation. This radiation is detected from outside the b
- November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q7(b) (2 marks): The radioactive medical tracer, technetium-99m, is prepared in the same room as the patient. Identify one precaution when preparing this medical tracer in the s
- November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q7(c) (2 marks): Radiotherapy is a treatment to kill cancerous cells carried out over several weeks. The radioactive isotope needs to produce a consistent beam of radiation over
- June 2019, Paper 2 Foundation, Q5(a) (1 mark): Suggest why the alpha radiation from the source cannot do any harm when you are close to the smoke alarm. [1]
- June 2019, Paper 2 Foundation, Q5(b) (2 marks): Explain how you could use a radiation measuring device in the laboratory to show that the smoke alarm is safe. [2]
- June 2019, Paper 2 Foundation, Q5(c) (2 marks): Ling makes the following comment. Ling You can use a gamma source instead of an alpha source in the smoke alarm. This will be safe and do us no harm. Discuss wh
- June 2019, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(a) (2 marks): Would swallowing this food be a contamination effect or an irradiation effect? Contamination effect Irradiation effect Explain your answer. [2]
- June 2019, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(b) (1 mark): Explain why it is hazardous if radioactive isotopes enter the body. [1]
- June 2019, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(c) (2 marks): Information about three isotopes is shown in the table. Isotope Type of decay Half-life Biological effects Plutonium-241 beta 14 years absorbed by the bones Rad
- June 2019, Paper 4 Higher, Q11(a) (2 marks): The patient and her doctor decide to treat the cancer with radiotherapy. Why did they decide to treat the cancer with radiotherapy? Use information from the tab
- June 2019, Paper 4 Higher, Q11(c) (2 marks): Iridium-192 is a low-level waste product of fission reactions in a nuclear power station. Low-level wastes, such as Iridium-192, have short half-lives. Amaya an
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q8(b)(i) (2 marks): The students agree that americium-241 emits alpha radiation but not beta radiation. Explain how the evidence supports this conclusion. [2]
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q8(b)(ii) (2 marks): They cannot tell from their results whether americium-241 emits gamma radiation. What should they do to decide whether the source emits gamma radiation? [2]
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q8(c) (2 marks): In fact, americium-241 emits both alpha radiation and gamma radiation. Evaluate how dangerous it is to have a small amount of americium-241 in a smoke alarm. [2
- June 2018, Paper 2 Foundation, Q5(a)(ii) (2 marks): The radioactive plutonium-238 is sealed inside a case with thin walls made of aluminium. The plutonium-238 emits a large number of high energy alpha-particles e
- June 2018, Paper 3 Higher, Q8(b) (2 marks): Molybdenum-99 is produced in nuclear reactors and then transported to hospitals. It may take several days for the molybdenum-99 to be transported. In the hospit
- June 2018, Paper 3 Higher, Q8(c)(ii) (2 marks): A doctor is deciding which radioactive isotope is best to use. Dr Phillips Using technetium-99m is safer for the patient than using thallium-201. Evaluate this
- June 2018, Paper 4 Higher, Q8(b) (4 marks): Americium-241 decays by emitting alpha-particles. A smoke detector is not a hazard in your house. They usually last 10 years. Explain why a smoke detector shoul
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