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Carpe Diem: Cesium the Day Trivia Quiz

Cesium, or caesium for our neighbors across the pond, is a quite unusual element. How much do you know about it?

A multiple-choice quiz by romon1. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
romon1

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
351,600

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
2649

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In 1860, Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchoff discovered Cesium through the recently developed method of spectroscopy, which can be used to identify elements by the colors they produce when heated. The scientists named the newly-found element after the Latin word 'caesius', which means what? Hint

reactive

sky-blue

liquid

radioactive

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Question 2 of 10

2. Cesium has an atomic number of 55, which places it on the left side of the periodic table. In what group of elements is cesium? Hint

Transition Metals

Noble Gases

Alkali Metals

Halogens

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Question 3 of 10

3. Cesium can absorb or emit a certain frequency of microwave radiation at a certain rate. This rate has been used by the International System of Units (SI) to define what often-used unit of time? Hint

year

second

month

day

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Question 4 of 10

4. Small amounts of cesium can be found in a few metal ores. However, there is one ore that contains a significant amount of cesium. Its name may remind you of environmental dirtiness. What is it? Hint

Beryl

Pollucite

Rhodizite

Avogadrite

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Question 5 of 10

5. True or False: Cesium is considered dangerous mainly because most people are allergic to it.

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. The standard atomic weight of an element is given as the weighted average of the mass of all its isotopes (forms with different weight). This means more common isotopes have a greater effect on the standard atomic weight than rare isotopes. The standard atomic weight of cesium is 132.91. What is its only stable isotope, which is by far the most common? Hint

Cesium-133

Cesium-135

Cesium-131

Cesium-137

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Question 7 of 10

7. Another isotope of cesium is cesium-137, which is radioactive, and was spread worldwide due to fallout from nuclear weapons tests in the 50s and 60s. It can be used in medicine to treat which of the following? Hint

Cancer

Hemophilia

Klinefelter's syndrome

Sickle cell anemia

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Question 8 of 10

8. Contrary to a well-known slogan for M&Ms, which of these things does cesium do? Hint

Melts in your hand

Prevents cavities

Destroys the earth

Causes obesity

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Question 9 of 10

9. Cesium was named for the wavelength of light produced when viewed with a spectrometer. However, there are two different colors that cesium is claimed to be when viewed with the naked eye. One of them is a silvery white color. What is the other? Hint

Pure White

Dull Gray

Metallic Blue

Pale Gold

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Question 10 of 10

10. When being formed into a compound, cesium ionizes, which means it changes the number of electrons it has. In what way does cesium change the number of electrons it has? Hint

It gains two electrons

It gains one electron

It loses one electron

It loses two electrons

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: sky-blue

Bunsen and Kirchoff were studying a sample of mineral water using spectroscopy. They removed the known elements, such as sodium and potassium, from the sample, but were left with blue spectral lines, meaning there was another element inside.

2. Cesium has an atomic number of 55, which places it on the left side of the periodic table. In what group of elements is cesium?

Answer: Alkali Metals

Cesium shares its group with metals lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and francium. The Noble Gases are found in the column to the very right of the periodic table, the Halogens are in the column to the left of the Noble Gases, and the Transition Metals are in the middle of the table.

Answer: second

Cesium takes 1 second to produce 9,192,631,770 cycles of microwave radiation. This definition of the second has been officially used since 1967, and is based on the development of atomic clocks.

Answer: Pollucite

While all the ores given can contain cesium, pollucite is over 40% cesium by mass. It is most famously mined in Canada, at Bernic Lake, Manitoba.

5. True or False: Cesium is considered dangerous mainly because most people are allergic to it.

Answer: False

Cesium is actually considered hazardous due to its reactivity. It causes an explosion when placed in water, and spontaneously combusts in the presence of oxygen.

Answer: Cesium-133

Not only is cesium-133 the most common isotope of cesium, but it is the only isotope to occur in nature. Roughly 40 isotopes of cesium exist, and either exist in trace amounts from nuclear reactions, or must be created synthetically. However, all the other isotopes were created by humans in one way or another.

Answer: Cancer

Radioactive cesium is often used in brachytherapy, in which a sample of the element is placed beside or inside the relevant area. This is useful for treating cancers in non-vital organs.

The other three options are all genetic disorders, and would not be greatly helped with radioactivity.

8. Contrary to a well-known slogan for M&Ms, which of these things does cesium do?

Answer: Melts in your hand

With a melting point of 28 degrees Celsius (83 degrees Fahrenheit), Cesium would melt from the heat your hand would add to it, making a giant mess (and possible health concerns).

Answer: Pale Gold

Scientists who claim that cesium is pale gold say this is due to relativistic quantum effects in its electrons.

Those who claim it is silver say that the gold color is produced by trace amounts of a compound of cesium and oxygen, and that pure cesium is a silvery white.

10. When being formed into a compound, cesium ionizes, which means it changes the number of electrons it has. In what way does cesium change the number of electrons it has?

Answer: It loses one electron

Like all alkali metals, cesium loses an electron to form a positively charged ion, allowing it to make compounds such as cesium chloride.

Source: Author romon1

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor CellarDoor before going online.
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