COMEDK202510 May 2025Evening ShiftPhysicsNuclear PhysicsActual
Fusion reaction is more energetic than fission reaction because
Options
- AIn the fusion reaction lighter nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus
- BUncontrolled chain reaction is taking place In the fusion reaction.
- CThe energy released per unit mass of the fuel in fusion reaction is larger than the energy released per unit m
- DFusion reaction is taking place at very high temperature
Correct answer
C. The energy released per unit mass of the fuel in fusion reaction is larger than the energy released per unit m
Step-by-step solution
The energy released in a nuclear reaction is determined by the mass defect, which is the difference between the mass of the reactants and the mass of the products. This mass defect is converted into energy according to Einstein's mass-energy equivalence relation, E = m c^2 . In fission, a heavy nucleus splits into two lighter nuclei, whereas in fusion, two light nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. The binding energy per nucleon curve shows that the binding energy per nucleon increases significantly when light