Question

In any fission process the ratio (mass of fission products/mass of parent nucleus) is :

• A. less than 1
• B. greater than 1
• C. equal to 1
• D. depends on the mass of parent nucleus

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

To understand the correct answer to this question, we need to consider the basic principle of nuclear fission.

Nuclear fission is a process in which a heavy nucleus splits into two lighter nuclei, along with a few neutrons and a large amount of energy. This process typically occurs in heavy elements such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239. During this splitting, the original nucleus (parent nucleus) divides into smaller parts (fission products), and some mass is converted into energy according to Einstein's mass-energy equivalence principle, expressed by the famous equation:

E=mc^2

where:

• E is the energy released,
• m is the mass defect (difference between the mass of the parent nucleus and the sum of masses of the fission products),
• c is the speed of light in vacuum.

Let's reason through the options:

1. Less than 1: Since a small amount of the original mass is converted into energy, the mass of the fission products is slightly less than the mass of the parent nucleus. Thus, the ratio of the mass of fission products to the mass of the parent nucleus is less than 1.
2. Greater than 1: This would imply that the fission products have more mass than the original nucleus, which violates the conservation of mass-energy.
3. Equal to 1: This would imply no mass is converted into energy, which contradicts the fission process where significant energy is released.
4. Depends on the mass of the parent nucleus: While different parent nuclei might have slightly different mass defects, the general principle that some mass is converted into energy remains the same, so this is not a correct option.

Therefore, the correct answer is that the ratio (mass of fission products/mass of parent nucleus) is less than 1. This outcome aligns with our understanding of how mass is slightly reduced due to energy release in fission.