Fusion Vs Fission
Energy production mechanism: fusion of light nuclei and fission of heavy both release energy because?
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- atoms and nuclei
- Topic
- fusion vs fission
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Binding energy per nucleon increases toward iron
- Energy Principle: In any nuclear reaction, energy is released if the product nuclei are more stable (have higher binding energy per nucleon) than the reactants.
- Peak Stability: The average binding energy per nucleon peaks at iron (A≈56).
- Fusion: Light nuclei join to form a heavier nucleus closer to the peak. BE/A increases ⟹ Energy is released.
- Fission: A heavy nucleus splits into smaller fragments closer to the peak. BE/A increases ⟹ Energy is released.
- Conclusion: Both processes move the system toward a state of higher binding energy per nucleon.
This hard difficulty physics question is from the chapter atoms and nuclei, covering the topic of fusion vs fission. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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