Physics · Binding energy per nucleon and its variation with mass number, nuclear fission and fusion

The decay of mass during nuclear fission and fusion are:

The decay of mass during nuclear fission and fusion are:

  • A. \( 0.1 \% \) and \( 0.231 \% \)
  • B. 0.231\% and 0.1\%
  • C. \( 0.4 \% \) and \( 0.2 \% \)
  • D. 0.3\% and 0.3\%

Step-by-step solution

In nuclear fission, typically about 0.1% of the mass is converted to energy, while in nuclear fusion, the mass converted is about 0.231% (e.g., in the proton-proton chain). The ordering where fission converts a smaller fraction than fusion is consistent with general knowledge, and only option A has the smaller value first.
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