Nuclear fission problem If during a nuclear fission U(235) decomposes into Xe(140), Sr(94) and n(1

llunallenaipg5r

llunallenaipg5r

Answered question

2022-05-18

Nuclear fission problem
If during a nuclear fission U(235) decomposes into Xe(140), Sr(94) and n(1), how is it possible that the original U(235) has bigger mass than the three resulting nuclei together? Should it not be the case that the U(235) has a deeper bonding energy so the lower mass; this way its binding energy is released during the fission and the resulting elements have smaller mass defect?

Answer & Explanation

lutzantsca885

lutzantsca885

Beginner2022-05-19Added 15 answers

If you explicitly state the equations for energy conservation, you can show that U(235) will have more mass than the blown-off particle elements.
If you take into account that when they are blasted off, Xe(140), Sr(94), and n(1) have kinetic energy, you may formulate the following equation for the initial and final states:
M U c 2 = m Xe c 2 1  v Xe 2 c 2 + m Sr c 2 1  v Sr 2 c 2 + m n c 2 1  v n 2 c 2 
where the Ms represent each object's rest mass. Be aware that (in case you weren't aware) m c 2 1  v 2 c 2 in relativistic dynamics, is the total energy. (I didn't write uranium this way because it's considered to be stationary and 1 1  v 2 c 2 = 1 for a thing moving at a constant speed.)
As a result, if you examine the equation I created above, you'll see thatM U > m X e + m n + m S r since the 1 1  v 2 c 2 is always greater than one.

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