After a fission/fusion there is less mass present than before the fission/fusion. However, the number of neutrons and protons has remained the same. The answer is in the energy (E=mc²), but what exactly?
Answer
Hi Gil, you have indeed already given the answer yourself: this famous law of Einstein makes the connection between mass and energy. And the difference in mass measured after the nuclear fusion reaction is effectively converted into energy during the reaction. There is a complex relationship between mass-particles and energy-particles, which manifests itself in these kinds of high-energy reactions. For example, in such a reaction, a large amount of light is undoubtedly emitted in the form of photons. The energy of these photons also obeys the E=mc2 law, and explains part of the mass loss.
In nuclear fission and fusion, the nuclear particles are indeed rearranged, and this is the process by which the forces between those particles are also influenced. It is in this rearrangement that an important part of the forces between the nucleons are used to make other types of energy. Think of the nucleus as a system filled with potential energy, part of which is released in these nuclear reactions.
regards
Answered by
Dr. Hans Van Mingroot
Photophysics and Photochemistry
Agoralaan University Campus Building D BE-3590 Diepenbeek
http://www.uhasselt.be/
.