IB skill practice

Analyse nuclear fission energy release

Paper 1, Paper 2 5 marks Difficulty 5

Convert fission energy to joules

In a second version of the same nuclear physics investigation, a fission event in a mass defect calculation releases \(230\,\text{MeV}\). Use \(1\,\text{MeV}=1.60\times10^{-13}\,\text{J}\). Calculate the energy in units of \(10^{-11}\,\text{J}\). Use the diagram first, then calculate the requested value. Enter the numerical result and choose the interpretation that matches the nuclear physics meaning.

Worked practice: physics data and result

Read the physical quantities first, then calculate the result and state what it means.