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 process occurs when an atom loses an electron to become charged?

    • De-excitation
    • Ionisation
    • Annihilation
    • Excitation

  2. What process occurs when an electron moves to a higher atomic energy level?

    • Excitation
    • De-excitation
    • Recombination
    • Ionisation

  3. What unit of energy equals the work done moving an electron through one volt?

    • Electronvolt
    • Coulomb
    • Watt-hour
    • Joule

  4. Which gas atoms in a fluorescent tube are excited by electron collisions to emit UV light?

    • Argon gas
    • Mercury vapour
    • Sodium vapour
    • Neon gas

  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. A 15 eV electron collides with a ground-state hydrogen atom (ionisation energy 13.6 eV). What occurs?

    • Photon absorption
    • Ionisation
    • Nuclear fusion
    • Elastic collision only

  9. An 8 eV electron collides with a hydrogen atom needing 10.2 eV for excitation. What happens?

    • Ionisation
    • Elastic collision
    • Photon emission
    • Excitation

  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 hydrogen in the ground state. Which energy level can it reach?

    • Ionised state
    • n = 4 level
    • n = 3 level
    • n = 2 level

  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. What type of radiation is absorbed by the phosphor coating inside a fluorescent tube?

    • Microwave radiation
    • Ultraviolet photons
    • X-ray photons
    • Infrared 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 particle is emitted when an excited atomic electron drops to a lower energy level?

    • Neutron
    • Free electron
    • Photon
    • Proton

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