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In any fission process the ratio $\dfrac{\text{mass of fission products}}{\text{mass of parent nucleus}}$ is -
A
Greater than 1
B
Depends on the mass of the parent nucleus
C
Equal to 1
D
Less than 1
Detailed Solution
In nuclear fission a heavy nucleus splits into two medium-mass nuclei and a few neutrons, and a large amount of energy is released (about 200 MeV per fission of $^{235}U$).
This energy comes from the conversion of mass into energy, $E = \Delta m\,c^2$.
The fission products have a higher binding energy per nucleon than the parent nucleus, so their total mass is less than the mass of the parent nucleus.
So the mass of the fission products is always less than the mass of the parent nucleus.
Hence the ratio is less than 1.
This energy comes from the conversion of mass into energy, $E = \Delta m\,c^2$.
The fission products have a higher binding energy per nucleon than the parent nucleus, so their total mass is less than the mass of the parent nucleus.
So the mass of the fission products is always less than the mass of the parent nucleus.
Hence the ratio is less than 1.