Consider the hypothetical reaction Without performing numerical calculations

PHYSICS · Single correct · CBSE · Physics · Nuclei · Nuclei

Problem

Consider the hypothetical reaction 816O+816O  →  1632S^{16}_{8}\text{O}+^{16}_{8}\text{O}\;\rightarrow\;^{32}_{16}\text{S} Without performing numerical calculations, predict the energy change for this reaction on the basis of the binding-energy-per-nucleon curve. (a) It absorbs energy because bringing two positively charged 16^{16}O nuclei together requires work to overcome Coulomb repulsion. (b) It releases energy because the binding energy per nucleon decreases from 16^{16}O to 32^{32}S, and the difference appears as energy. (c) It releases energy because 32^{32}S lies closer to the peak of the curve than 16^{16}O. (d) It neither releases nor absorbs energy since the total number of nucleons and protons remains the same on both sides.

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