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![]() ![]() Nuclear energy is also released during fusion, when light nuclei like hydrogen are combined to form heavier nuclei such as helium. The energy from fission is used to generate electric power in hundreds of locations worldwide. Nuclear energy may be released by fission, when heavy atomic nuclei (like uranium and plutonium) are broken apart into lighter nuclei. The best-known classes of exothermic nuclear transmutations are nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Energy is consumed or released because of differences in the nuclear binding energy between the incoming and outgoing products of the nuclear transmutation. Introduction Nuclear energy Īn absorption or release of nuclear energy occurs in nuclear reactions or radioactive decay those that absorb energy are called endothermic reactions and those that release energy are exothermic reactions. These nuclear binding energies and forces are on the order of one million times greater than the electron binding energies of light atoms like hydrogen. When a large nucleus splits into pieces, excess energy is emitted as gamma rays and the kinetic energy of various ejected particles ( nuclear fission products). This energy may be made available as nuclear energy and can be used to produce electricity, as in nuclear power, or in a nuclear weapon. If new binding energy is available when light nuclei fuse ( nuclear fusion), or when heavy nuclei split ( nuclear fission), either process can result in release of this binding energy. The term "nuclear binding energy" may also refer to the energy balance in processes in which the nucleus splits into fragments composed of more than one nucleon. This 'missing mass' is known as the mass defect, and represents the energy that was released when the nucleus was formed. The difference in mass can be calculated by the Einstein equation, E = mc 2, where E is the nuclear binding energy, c is the speed of light, and m is the difference in mass. The mass of an atomic nucleus is less than the sum of the individual masses of the free constituent protons and neutrons. Both the experimental and theoretical views are equivalent, with slightly different emphasis on what the binding energy means. In this context it represents the energy of the nucleus relative to the energy of the constituent nucleons when they are infinitely far apart. In theoretical nuclear physics, the nuclear binding energy is considered a negative number. Nucleons are attracted to each other by the strong nuclear force. The binding energy for stable nuclei is always a positive number, as the nucleus must gain energy for the nucleons to move apart from each other. ![]() Nuclear binding energy in experimental physics is the minimum energy that is required to disassemble the nucleus of an atom into its constituent protons and neutrons, known collectively as nucleons. ![]()
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