Question

The fission of a single nucleus of ^235U releases 200 MeV of energy. What is the number of fissions that must occur to produce a power of 1 MW?

(a) 3.23 X 10^16

(b) 3.12 X 10^16

(c) 4.38 X 10^16

(d) 5.38 X 10^16

This question was addressed to me in semester exam.

I'm obligated to ask this question of Nuclear fission & Nuclear Reactor topic in portion Quantum Physics of Engineering Physics I

Answer 1

The correct choice is (b) 3.12 X 10^16

The explanation: Energy released per second = n X 200 MeV

= n X 200 X 1.6 X 10^-19 J

Energy produced per second = Power X time

= 1 MW X 1s

n X 200 X 1.6 X 10^-19 J = 10^6  J

n = 3.12 X 10^16.