Binding Energy
Mass Defect
Nuclear Fission
100
What is Binding energy?
The energy required to spread a nucleus into its constituent nucleon.
100
What is Mass Defect?
Mass defect is the difference between the actual mass of a nucleus and the total mass of nucleons.
100
What types of particles are usually emitted during nuclear fission?
neutrons, gamma rays, and various fission fragments
200
What is the name of right and left hand side of the graph?
Left: Fusion
Right: Fission
200
Complete the sentence
For a nucleus, the mass defect is the difference between the total mass of its nucleons and its actual .........
Nuclear mass
200
How does nuclear fission differ from nuclear fusion?
Nuclear fission involves splitting a heavy nucleus into smaller fragments, while nuclear fusion involves combining light nuclei to form a heavier nucleus.
300
What is Einstein's energy-mass equivalence equation? And stated what does each letter stand for?
E=mc2
- E= energy
- m= Mass
- c= Speed of light
300
Complete the sentence
For an atom, the mass defect is the difference between the total mass of nucleons as well as electrons as its actual ............
Atomic mass
300
What is nuclear fission?
Nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom is split into two smaller nuclei, releasing a significant amount of energy in the process.
400
Why is energy related when light atoms fuse and heavy atoms fission?
Nuclear fusion produces energy by combining the very lightest elements into more tightly bound elements, and nuclear fission produces energy by splitting the heaviest elements into more tightly bound elements.
400
What is the relationship between the stability of a nucleus and its binding energy per nucleon?
Nuclei with higher binding energy per nucleon are more stable. This is why iron-56 is often referred to as the most stable nucleus, as it has the highest binding energy per nucleon.
400
How is the energy released in a nuclear fission reaction calculated?
The energy released in a nuclear fission reaction can be calculated using Einstein's mass-energy equivalence equation, E=mc²
500
Given that an alpha particle has a mass of 4.001506u and a neutron and proton have masses of 1.008664u and 1.007276u respectively
Find the binding energy of an alpha particle?
∆m= mass nucleus - mass nucleus
= 4.001506 - (2×1.008664+2×1.007276)
∆m= -0.030374u which means a mass of 0.030374u was covered to energy When the nucleus formed.
Binding energy= ∆m× 931.5 MeVc-2
= 0.030374 ×931.5 = 28.29MeV
500
How is mass defect related to the stability of atomic nuclei?
The stability of atomic nuclei is influenced by the balance between the repulsive electromagnetic forces between protons and the attractive strong nuclear forces between protons and neutrons. Nuclei with a higher binding energy (and thus a greater mass defect) tend to be more stable because they require more energy to break apart.
500
What is the role of the strong nuclear force in nuclear fission?
The strong nuclear force is responsible for holding the protons and neutrons together in the nucleus. In a heavy nucleus, this force needs to overcome electrostatic repulsion between positively charged protons. When the nucleus becomes too large, the strong nuclear force might not be able to hold it together, making fission more likely.