Question

A nuclear fission reaction has mass difference between the products and the reactants of 3.86 g. Calculate the amount of energy

Answer 1

Answer: The amount of energy released by the reaction is $3.47\times 10^{14}J$

Explanation:

To calculate the energy released, we use Einstein equation, which is:

$E=\Delta mc^2$

where,

$\Delta m$ = difference between the masses of products and reactants = 3.86 g = 0.00386 kg    (Conversion factor: 1 kg = 1000 g)

c = speed of light = $3\times 10^8m/s$

Putting values in above equation, we get:

$E=(3.86\times 10^{-3}kg)\times (3\times 10^8m/s)^2$

$E=3.47\times 10^{14}J$

Hence, the amount of energy released by the reaction is $3.47\times 10^{14}J$