Lesson 3.2.2.2

3.2.2.2 Collisions of electrons with atoms Quiz: AQA Physics, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.2.2.2, Collisions of electrons with atoms: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Physics (7408), Unit 2: Particles and radiation, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is ionisation of an atom?

    • Emitting a photon from the nucleus
    • Removing an electron from the atom
    • Adding a neutron to the nucleus
    • Raising an electron to a higher energy level

  2. What is excitation of an atom?

    • Raising an electron to a higher energy level
    • Converting a proton into a neutron
    • Emitting an alpha particle
    • Removing an electron from the atom

  3. What is one electronvolt?

    • The energy gained by an electron accelerated through a potential difference of 1 V
    • The energy of a photon of frequency 1 Hz
    • An energy of 1 J
    • The charge of an electron

  4. How is ultraviolet light produced in a fluorescent tube?

    • Direct emission from the filament
    • Electron collisions excite mercury atoms, which emit UV photons
    • The photoelectric effect at the glass wall
    • The phosphor ionises directly from the filament

  5. What is the energy of 13.6 eV in joules?

    • 8.5 × 10^-19 J
    • 2.18 × 10^-19 J
    • 2.18 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.36 × 10^-18 J

  6. An electron is accelerated through 10 V. What is its energy in joules?

    • 6.3 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.6 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.6 × 10^-17 J
    • 1.6 × 10^-19 J

  7. What is the minimum electron energy needed to excite hydrogen from the ground state to the n = 2 level?

    • 1.6 eV
    • 10.2 eV
    • 13.6 eV
    • 3.4 eV

  8. An electron with 15 eV collides with a ground-state hydrogen atom. What happens?

    • The electron passes through unchanged
    • The atom is ionised, because 15 eV exceeds 13.6 eV
    • A photon of 15 eV is emitted by the atom
    • The atom is excited to n = 2 only

  9. An electron with 8 eV collides with a ground-state hydrogen atom. What happens?

    • The atom is excited to n = 2
    • The atom cannot be excited, and the collision is elastic
    • The electron is absorbed without energy change
    • The atom is ionised

  10. What is 5.0 eV in joules?

    • 5.0 × 10^-19 J
    • 8.0 × 10^-18 J
    • 8.0 × 10^-19 J
    • 3.1 × 10^-20 J

  11. An electron is accelerated through 2.5 kV. What energy does it gain?

    • 2.5 keV
    • 2.5 eV
    • 4.0 eV
    • 25 keV

  12. A 12.0 eV electron collides with a ground-state hydrogen atom. Which process can occur?

    • No interaction is possible
    • Excitation to n = 3
    • Ionisation
    • Excitation to n = 2 only

  13. How much energy is needed to ionise a hydrogen atom starting from the n = 2 level?

    • 13.6 eV
    • 1.5 eV
    • 10.2 eV
    • 3.4 eV

  14. What is 10.2 eV expressed in joules?

    • 6.38 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.02 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.63 × 10^-18 J
    • 1.63 × 10^-19 J

  15. An electron falls from the n = 2 to n = 1 level in hydrogen, emitting a 10.2 eV photon. What is its wavelength, using hc = 1240 eV nm?

    • 1220 nm
    • 10.2 nm
    • 1.36 nm
    • 122 nm

  16. Why does a phosphor coating in a fluorescent tube glow visible light?

    • It creates electrons by the photoelectric effect
    • It absorbs UV photons and re-emits lower-energy visible photons
    • It converts visible light into UV
    • It is ionised by electrons to emit visible photons

  17. An electron loses 1.0 × 10^-18 J in an excitation process. How much is this in eV?

    • 0.63 eV
    • 1.6 eV
    • 16 eV
    • 6.3 eV

  18. In an inelastic collision with an atom, which quantity is NOT conserved?

    • kinetic energy
    • total energy
    • momentum
    • electric charge

  19. What is the ionisation energy of a ground-state hydrogen atom in eV?

    • 13.6 eV
    • 3.4 eV
    • 27.2 eV
    • 10.2 eV

  20. What happens after an excited atom returns to its ground state?

    • It loses a proton
    • It emits an electron with the same energy
    • It emits a photon whose energy equals the difference between the two levels
    • It absorbs a photon of the same energy

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