Nuclear Physics — JEE Main PYQs & Practice Questions

Nuclear Physics is a Physics chapter in the JEE Main syllabus. This page brings together 121 previous-year and practice questions on Nuclear Physics, organised into 6 topics: Nuclear Size and Density, Mass Defect and Binding Energy, Radioactivity, Decay Law and Half-Life, Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion. Most questions come with a step-by-step solution you can work through free in PrepWiser.

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Nuclear Size and Density

• Mass numbers of two nuclei are in the ratio of 4: 3. Their nuclear densities will be in…
• The ratio of the density of oxygen nucleus (₈¹⁶O) and helium nucleus (₂⁴He) is
• Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is…
• Which of the following pair of nuclei are isobars of the element?
• The mass number of nucleus having radius equal to half of the radius of nucleus with…
• For a nucleus of mass number A and radius R, the mass density of nucleus can be…
• Read the following statements : (A) Volume of the nucleus is directly proportional to…
• Assume that protons and neutrons have equal masses. Mass of a nucleon is 1.6×10⁻²⁷ kg…
• Which of the following figure represents the variation of lₙ( R/R₀ ) with lₙA (if R =…
• The radius R of a nucleus of mass number A can be estimated by the formula R = (1.3 × 10…
• An atom ₃⁸X is bombarded by shower of fundamental particles and in 10 s this atom…
• A nucleus has mass number A₁ and volume V₁. Another nucleus has mass number A₂ and…
• The radius of a nucleus of mass number 64 is 4.8 fermi. Then the mass number of another…
• Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled…
• A nucleus has mass number α and radius R_α. Another nucleus has mass number β and radius…

Mass Defect and Binding Energy

• A nucleus with mass number 242 and binding energy per nucleon as 7.6 MeV breaks into two…
• A free neutron decays into a proton but a free proton does not decay into neutron. This…
• The energy equivalent of 1 g of substance is :
• Given the masses of various atomic particles mₚ = 1.0072 u, mₙ = 1.0087 u, mₑ = 0.000548…
• If three helium nuclei combine to form a carbon nucleus then the energy released in this…
• The mass of proton, neutron and helium nucleus are respectively 1.0073 u,1.0087 u and…
• Two nuclei of mass number 3 combine with another nucleus of mass number 4 to yield a…
• Given below are two statements. One is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is…
• The minimum frequency of photon required to break a particle of mass 15.348 amu into 4α…
• From the given data, the amount of energy required to break the nucleus of aluminium…
• Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled…
• The energy equivalent of 1 amu is approximately:
• Nuclear fission of heavy nuclei and fusion of light nuclei both release energy because…
• The energy released when 7/17.13 kg of ₃⁷Li is converted into ₂⁴He by proton bombardment…
• Nucleus A having Z=17 and equal number of protons and neutrons has 1.2 MeV binding…
• Assuming the experimental mass of ₆¹²C as 12u, the mass defect of ₆¹²C atom is ____…
• In a nuclear fission process, a high mass nuclide (A ≈ 236) with binding energy 7.6 MeV…
• Binding energy of a certain nucleus is 18 × 10⁸ J. How much is the difference between…
• If M₀ is the mass of isotope ₅¹² B, Mₚ and Mₙ are the masses of proton and neutron, then…
• Binding energy per nucleon is maximum for nuclei around:

Radioactivity

• At time t = 0, a material is composed of two radioactive atoms A and B, where N A (0) =…
• Two radioactive substances A and B of mass numbers 200 and 212 respectively, shows…
• The decay of a proton to neutron is :
• A nucleus with mass number 184 initially at rest emits an α-particle. If the Q value of…
• Choose the correct nuclear process from the below options [ p : proton, n : neutron, e⁻…
• How many alpha and beta particles are emitted when Uranium ₉₂U²³⁸ decays to lead ₈₂Pb²⁰⁶ ?
• A common example of alpha decay is ₉₂²³⁸ U → ₉₀²³⁴ Th+ ₂ He⁴+Q Given : ₉₂²³⁸ U=238.05060…
• In the following nuclear reaction, D→(α) D₁→(β -) D₂→(α) D₃→(γ) D₄ Mass number of D is…
• A radioactive element ₉₂²⁴²X emits two α-particles, one electron and two positrons. The…
• Consider the following statements : A. Atoms of each element emit characteristics…
• A nucleus of mass M emits γ -ray photon of frequency 'v'. The loss of internal energy by…
• Consider the following radioactive decay process ₈₄²¹⁸A→(α) A₁→(β -) A₂→(γ) A₃→(α) A₄→(β…

Decay Law and Half-Life

• Two radioactive materials A and B have decay constants 25 λ and 16 λ respectively. If…
• The nuclear activity of a radioactive element becomes ( 1/8 )ᵗʰ of its initial value in…
• A radioactive sample is undergoing α decay. At any time t₁, its activity is A and…
• The half-life of ¹⁹⁸Au is 3 days. If atomic weight of ¹⁹⁸Au is 198 g/mol then the…
• If 'f' denotes the ratio of the number of nuclei decayed (N d ) to the number of nuclei…
• If a radioactive element having half-life of 30 min is undergoing beta decay, the…
• A radio active material is reduced to 1 / 8 of its original amount in 3 days. If 8 ×…
• Activities of three radioactive substances A, B and C are represented by the curves A, B…
• A radioactive sample disintegrates via two independent decay processes having half lives…
• A radioactive nucleus n₂ has 3 times the decay constant as compared to the decay…
• In a radioactive material, fraction of active material remaining after time t is 9/16…
• Following statements related to radioactivity are given below : (A) Radioactivity is a…
• The half life of a radioactive substance is T. The time taken, for disintegrating 7/8th…
• A radioactive sample decays 7/8 times its original quantity in 15 minutes. The half-life…
• A freshly prepared radioactive source of half life 2 hours 30 minutes emits radiation…
• Two radioactive elements A and B initially have same number of atoms. The half life of A…
• A radioactive nucleus can decay by two different processes. Half-life for the first…
• The decay law states that N(t) =
• A radioactive substance decays to ( 1/16 )ᵗʰ of its initial activity in 80 days. The…
• A radioactive material decays by simultaneous emissions of two particles with half lives…

Nuclear Fission

• A nucleus of mass M at rest splits into two parts having masses M′/3 and 2M'/3(M' < M)…
• Nucleus A is having mass number 220 and its binding energy per nucleon is 5.6 MeV. It…
• In a reactor, 2 kg of ₉₂U²³⁵ fuel is fully used up in 30 days. The energy released per…
• The energy released per fission of nucleus of ²⁴⁰X is 200 MeV. The energy released if…
• Match the LIST-I with LIST-II List - I | List - II ; A. | ₀¹ n+ ₉₂²³⁵ U → ₅₄¹⁴⁰ Xe+ ₃₈⁹⁴…
• A nucleus disintegrates into two nuclear parts, in such a way that ratio of their…
• In a nuclear fission reaction of an isotope of mass M, three similar daughter nuclei of…
• In a hypothetical fission reaction ₉₂ X²³⁶ → ₅₆ Y¹⁴¹+ ₃₆ Z⁹²+3 R The identity of emitted…
• Which of the following nuclear fragments corresponding to nuclear fission between…
• The average energy released per fission for the nucleus of ₉₂²³⁵U is 190 MeV . When all…

Nuclear Fusion

• The explosive in a Hydrogen bomb is a mixture of ₁ H², ₁ H³ and ₃ Li⁶ in some condensed…
• The energy released if hydrogen atoms are combined to form ₂⁴He is ____ MeV . (Take…
• A star has 100 % helium composition. It starts to convert three ⁴ He into one ¹² C via…
• Two lighter nuclei combine to form a comparatively heavier nucleus by the relation given…
• The energy source of the sun is primarily:
• The energy released in the fusion of 2 kg of hydrogen deep in the sun is E_H and the…

More Physics chapters

• Basic Mathematics for Physics
• Units, Dimensions & Errors
• Rectilinear Motion
• Vectors
• Projectile Motion & Relative Motion
• Newton's Laws of Motion
• Friction
• Circular Motion
• Work, Energy & Power
• Centre of Mass & Linear Momentum
• Collision
• Rotational Motion
• Gravitation
• Simple Harmonic Motion
• Elasticity
• Fluid Mechanics
• Surface Tension
• Thermometry & Calorimetry
• Kinetic Theory of Gases
• Thermodynamics
• Heat Transfer
• Mechanical Waves
• Sound Waves
• Experimental Skills
• Electrostatics I — Charges, Field & Gauss's Law
• Electrostatics II — Potential & Capacitance
• Current Electricity
• Moving Charges & Magnetism
• Magnetism & Matter
• Electromagnetic Induction
• Alternating Current
• Electromagnetic Waves
• Ray Optics
• Wave Optics
• Dual Nature of Radiation & Matter
• Atomic Physics
• Semiconductors & Electronic Devices
• Communication Systems

Frequently asked questions

How many Nuclear Physics questions are there for JEE Main?

PrepWiser has 121 Nuclear Physics questions for JEE Main, grouped into 6 topics such as Nuclear Size and Density, Mass Defect and Binding Energy and Radioactivity.

Are these Nuclear Physics questions from previous-year JEE Main papers?

Yes — most are genuine previous-year questions from past JEE Main papers, and the rest are practice questions written to match the JEE Main pattern and difficulty.

Where can I see the answers and solutions to these Nuclear Physics questions?

Open any Nuclear Physics question in PrepWiser (it is free) to attempt it; most come with a step-by-step solution.