A uranium-235 nucleus undergoes fission during a nuclear explosion. If you were to collect all the fragments of that original uranium-235 nucleus, you would find that their total combined mass is
A) about 0.1% more than that of the original uranium-235 nucleus.
B) less than that of the original uranium-235 nucleus.
C) exactly the same as that of the original uranium-235 nucleus.
D) about 1.0% more than that of the original uranium-235 nucleus.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

During a nuclear fission reaction, such as the fission of uranium-235, a small amount of the mass of the original nucleus is converted into energy according to Einstein's equation E=mc^2. This means the total mass of the fission fragments is less than the mass of the original nucleus.

A Uranium-235 Nucleus Undergoes Fission During a Nuclear Explosion