A nucleus of uranium decays at rest into nuclei of thorium and helium. Then:

23 2015 AIPMT-II NucleiAlpha decay Easy
A nucleus of uranium decays at rest into nuclei of thorium and helium. Then:
A The helium nucleus has less kinetic energy than the thorium nucleus
B The helium nucleus has more kinetic energy than the thorium nucleus
C The helium nucleus has less momentum than the thorium nucleus
D The helium nucleus has more momentum than the thorium nucleus

Detailed Solution

By conservation of linear momentum: $p_{He} = p_{Th}$ in magnitude.
$K = \frac{p^2}{2m} \propto \frac{1}{m}$, and $m_{He} K_{Th}$.

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