12.4.2 Practice: A Pound of This and a Pound of That

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iammost...@gmail.com

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Jan 15, 2013, 12:22:55 AM1/15/13
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12.4.2 Practice: A Pound of This and a Pound of That
Fission

1.Uranium-235 decays naturally, by alpha decay. Write the balanced decay equation below. (5
points)

235/92 U → 231/90 Th + 4/2 He

2.Uranium-235 has a half-life of about 700 million years. If 1 kg of U-235 is put on a shelf in a
laboratory, how much of it will be left after 700 million years? (5 points)

¼ kg

3.Uranium-235 is a popular choice of fuel for nuclear reactors. But U-235 doesn't always fission
the same way. Below are three ways it can split. Complete the nuclear equations so they balance.
(6 points)

56 Be

b)

36 Un

52 Pu

4.Instead of allowing 1 kg of U-235 to decay naturally, imagine it is used as fuel in a nuclear
reactor. It is bombarded with neutrons, causing it all to fission in a matter of days. After 1 kg of
U-235 undergoes fission, the mass of the products is 8.4 x 10-4 kg less than the initial 1 kg. How

much energy was produced by the fission of 1 kg of U-235? (Hint: Use Einstein's equation, E =
mc2, where E is energy in Joules, m is mass in kilograms, and c is the speed of light, 3 x 108 m/
s.) (8 points)

7.56 x 10^13

Fusion

5.The fusion of two hydrogen isotopes is shown below. Complete the nuclear equation so it
balances. (5 points)

2k

6.If 1 kg of fuel is used in the above fusion reaction, the resulting helium has a mass of 0.993 kg.
In other words, 0.007 kg of mass is converted to energy. How much energy is produced by the
fusion of 1 kg of hydrogen? (Hint: Use Einstein's equation, E = mc2, where E is energy in Joules,
m is mass in kilograms, and c is the speed of light, 3 x 108 m/s.) (6 points)

6.3 x 10^14 j

Alternative Energy

7.Hydrogen fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce water and energy. Assume 1
kg of fuel is used, and the mass of the water produced is 1.10 x 10-11 kg. How much energy is
produced by this fuel cell? (Hint: Use E = mc2.) (7 points)

16 kwh

Comparison

8.Complete the following table and questions. (8 points)
Reaction
Mass "Lost" Energy Produced

Fission of 1 kg of U-235
½ kg
Fusion of 1 kg of hydrogen
1/3 kg
Fuel cell with 1 kg of hydrogen and oxygen 1/3 kg

75.6 x 10^12 j
6.3 x 10^13 j
5.4 x 10^13 j

Which type of reaction "loses" the most mass?

Fuel Cell

Which type of reaction produces the most energy? Why?

Fission of 1 kg U-235

jacobr...@gmail.com

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Jun 15, 2017, 12:28:43 PM6/15/17
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you are the best!!!!!!!

teacher

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Sep 27, 2019, 9:13:59 AM9/27/19
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You would be the best if you knew what you were talking about...

abby kara

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Nov 9, 2020, 12:37:35 AM11/9/20
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is this all correct??

John Timber

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Nov 9, 2020, 11:55:30 AM11/9/20
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Sorry, I don't remember turning this in? You might have the wrong person because I am in Chemistry.

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abby kara

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Nov 9, 2020, 7:13:27 PM11/9/20
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is this all correct?

Alex Strazzullo

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Dec 15, 2020, 2:18:01 PM12/15/20
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was it right?

Idunno452

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Dec 15, 2020, 4:56:50 PM12/15/20
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Which type of reaction "loses" the most mass?

Fuel Cell 

This answer is definitely wrong 

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