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Quiz about Carpe Diem Cesium the Day
Quiz about Carpe Diem Cesium the Day

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.
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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
- -
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


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


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


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


Question 5 of 10
5. True or False: Cesium is considered dangerous mainly because most people are allergic to it.


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


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


Question 8 of 10
8. Contrary to a well-known slogan for M&Ms, which of these things does cesium do? Hint


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


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



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
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?

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.
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?

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.
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?

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.
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?

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.
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?

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).
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?

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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