Which of the following statements is true about fission ...

[craiczarry]

Which of the following statements is true about fission reactions?
  a. The fission products themselves are often unstable.
  b. Spontaneous fission occurs when low energy neutrons collide with an unstable nucleus.
  c. The nuclear strong force is most fundamentally responsible for forcing apart the nucleus during fission.
  d. Fission reactions are just as efficient at producing energy as fusion reactions.
  e. Binding energy per nucleon is greater for nuclei with Z >200 than for smaller nuclei, so heavier elements are less efficient in producing energy through fission reactions.

Question 2

Which of the following statements best describes the line of stability?
 

a. It has N = Z when A = 240.
  b. It has Z > N at A = 240
  c. N always tends to be greater than Z.
  d. N tends to be greater than Z, especially for masses greater than calcium.

[chem1s3]

Answer to Question 1

a.
The products of fission often are very neutron rich, which puts them off the line of stability. This arises from the fissioning nuclide as being inherently unstable in the first place.

Answer to Question 2

e.
N tends to be greater than Z for masses greater than calcium because of the coulomb repulsion.