Question

Since the uranium or plutonium nucleus fissions into several fission fragments whose mass distribution covers a wide range of pieces, would you expect more residual radioactivity from fission than fusion? Explain.

a) Yes, due to the larger number of fission fragments.

b) No, fusion produces more radioactive isotopes.

c) Yes, because fission fragments are more stable.

d) No, fission fragments have shorter half-lives.

Answer 1

Fission generates more residual radioactivity than fusion due to a greater number of fission fragments, which can have long half-lives, contributing to sustained radioactivity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to nuclear fission and nuclear fusion and the residual radioactivity produced by each process. In nuclear fission, a heavy nucleus such as uranium or plutonium is split into several smaller fragments, and in contrast, nuclear fusion involves combining light nuclei to form a heavier nucleus. Fission produces a variety of fragments, many of which are radioactive and have a wide range of half-lives, some lasting for thousands of years. This results in greater amounts of residual radioactivity in comparison to fusion, which produces fewer and generally shorter-lived radioactive isotopes. The answer to the question is option a) Yes, due to the larger number of fission fragments.