Why Might the Following Nuclear Reaction Not Be Very Good

question 2

Multiple Choice

Why might the following nuclear reaction not be very good for energy production in a fission reactor? U → Th + He + 3 neutrons

• A) The material only produces a few neutrons so the chain reaction will not be very efficient.
• B) The reactants are too small to obtain much energy from the missing mass due to the strong nuclear force.
• C) The products are not the right size to obtain much energy from missing mass due to strong nuclear force.
• D) The mass of the byproducts is too high and therefore the energy released will not be large enough.
• E) Interatomic attraction between the products will impede the separation of the atoms from the unstable nuclei.

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Definitions:

Sample Average

The sum of all values in a sample divided by the number of values, providing a central tendency measure of the sample.

Population Average

The mean value calculated for a specific characteristic within a given population.

Illusion of Control

The illusion of control is a cognitive bias where individuals overestimate their ability to influence events and outcomes that are largely beyond their control.

Normal Curve

A symmetrical, bell-shaped curve that represents the distribution of many types of data where most occurrences take place around the average value.