Nuclear Fission The unstable nucleus of uranium- 236 can be regarded as a uniformly charged sphere of

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Nuclear Fission The unstable nucleus of uranium- 236 can be regarded as a uniformly charged sphere of charge Q = +92e and radius R = 7.4 X 10-l5 m. In nuclear fission, this can divide into two smaller nuclei, each with half the charge and half the volume of the original uranium-236 nucleus. This is one of the reactions that occurred in the nuclear weapon that exploded over Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945.
(a) Find the radii of the two €œdaughter€ nuclei of charge +46e.
(b) In a simple model for the fission process, immediately after the urauium-236 nucleus bas undergone fission, the €œdaughter€ nuclei are at rest and just touching, as shown in Fig. Calculate the kinetic energy that each of the €œdaughter€ nuclei will have when they are very far apart.
(c) In this model the sum of the kinetic energies of the two €œdaughter€ nuclei, calculated in part (b) is the energy released by the fission of one uranium-236 nucleus. Calculate the energy released by the fission of 10.0 kg of uranium-236. The atomic mass of uranium- 236 is 236 u, where 1 u = 1 atomic mass unit = 1.66 X 10-24 kg. Express your answer both in joules and in kilotons of TNT (1 kiloton of TNT releases 4.18 X 1012 J when it explodes).
(d) In terms of this model, discuss why an atomic bomb could just as well be called an €œelectric bomb.€


Q = +92e BEFORE Q = +46e AFTER Q = +46e
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