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Energy from mass defect

Energy from mass defect

Nuclear fission and fusion both release energy because mass and energy are equivalent. If the total mass of the products is smaller than the total mass of the reactants, the missing mass appears as energy: ΔE=Δmc2\Delta E = \Delta m c^2ΔE=Δmc2. Here ΔE\Delta EΔE is in joules, Δm\Delta mΔm is in kilograms, and c=3.00×108 m s−1c = 3.00 \times 10^8 \, \text{m s}^{-1}c=3.00×108m s−1.

Nuclear fission and fusion Lesson

  1. A Level
  2. /Physics
  3. /Nuclear fission and fusion

Step-by-step lessons on OCR A A Level Physics Nuclear fission and fusion. Each one builds up to exam-style questions. Physics is one of the most mathematically demanding A Levels -- at least 40% of the marks across the three papers require maths skills at Level 2 (GCSE) standard or above, so build calculation and graph-handling fluency alongside the conceptual content from the start.

Lessons