IB Physics SL E.1.2 Nuclear notation

Read and write nuclide symbols accurately by separating proton number, nucleon number, neutron count and ion electron count.

Syllabus
First assessment 2025
Objective
—
Level
SL

Exam points

  • use `^A_ZX` notation to calculate proton number, neutron number, or mass number from a given nucleus
  • choose the correct nuclide symbol from particle counts, keeping electron number separate from the nucleus

E.1.2—Nuclear notation question 1

[Maximum number: 1]

This section consists of three questions: B1, B2 and B3.

Tritium may be produced by bombarding a nucleus of the isotope lithium-7 with a high-energy neutron. The reaction equation for this interaction is

37Li+01n→13H+Z4X+01n.{ }_{3}^{7} \mathrm{Li}+{ }_{0}^{1} \mathrm{n} \rightarrow{ }_{1}^{3} \mathrm{H}+{ }_{Z}^{4} \mathrm{X}+{ }_{0}^{1} \mathrm{n} .

Identify the proton number Z of X.

Z=
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