15.3 Nuclear Energy
Nuclear reactions release a LARGE amount of energy as mass is converted to energy.
Mass Defect (Δm)
The difference in mass between the products and reactants of a nuclear reaction
(the products will always weigh less — the mass lost is converted to energy)
E = Δmc2
Δm, the mass defect, must be in kg (1amu = 1.67 × 10-27kg)
c = 3.0 × 108m/s (speed of light)
Calculate the amount of energy released for the nuclear fission of one uranium-235 atom.
| Isotope/Particle | Mass |
|---|---|
 | 235.04393amu |
 | 1.00866amu |
 | 141.91643amu |
 | 90.92345amu |