When a nucleus absorbs a slow neutron it splits into

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Nuclear physics · Nuclear physics

Problem

When a

^{235}_{92}\text{U}

nucleus absorbs a slow neutron it splits into

^{141}_{56}\text{Ba}

^{92}_{36}\text{Kr}

and three free neutrons. The nuclear masses involved are:

^{235}_{92}\text{U}

235.04393\,\text{u}

^{141}_{56}\text{Ba}

140.91440\,\text{u}

^{92}_{36}\text{Kr}

91.92615\,\text{u}

Neutron :

1.00866\,\text{u}

1\,\text{u}=931.5\,\text{MeV}/c^{2}

. (i) Calculate the total mass defect for one fission event. (ii) Determine the energy released per fission in MeV. (iii) Express this energy in joules. (iv) If a reactor produces

3.0\times10^{20}

such fissions per second, estimate the power output in megawatts.

Related theory

Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Reactions
Mass-Energy Equivalence
Mass defect and binding energy
Nuclear physics
Mass-energy relation
Nuclei

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