A reactor completely fissions of pure

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

Problem

A reactor completely fissions

1\,\text{kg}

of pure

^{235}\text{U}

. Assume that each fission liberates

200\,\text{MeV}

of energy. Given: Avogadro constant

N_A = 6.022\times10^{23}\,\text{mol}^{-1}

, molar mass of

^{235}\text{U} = 235\,\text{g\,mol}^{-1}

, and

1\,\text{eV} = 1.602\times10^{-19}\,\text{J}

. (a) Determine the number of

^{235}\text{U}

nuclei present in

1\,\text{kg}

of the fuel. (b) Calculate the total energy released, in joules, when all these nuclei undergo fission.