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Fission · Paper 2 — Free Physics SL Practice Questions

1FoundationSAQ-SNuclear fission process5 marksPaper 2~8 min

The graph below shows the binding energy per nucleon as a function of mass number

A

(a)

Explain why energy is released when a heavy nucleus such as uranium-235 undergoes fission. Refer to the graph in your answer. [2 marks]

(b)

In a fission event, a

^{235}_{92}\text{U}

nucleus splits into two fragments with mass numbers 140 and 95. The binding energy per nucleon read from the graph is

7.6 \ \text{MeV}

for

^{235}\text{U}

8.2 \ \text{MeV}

for the fragment with

A = 140

, and

8.5 \ \text{MeV}

for the fragment with

A = 95

. Calculate the energy released in this fission event. [3 marks]

Solutions

2MasterySAQ-SApplications of nuclear fission (nuclear reactors)5 marksPaper 2~8 min

The graph below shows neutron flux (in units of

10^{18}\,\text{m}^{-2}\text{s}^{-1}

) as a function of distance from the centre of a nuclear reactor core.

(a)

Read from the graph the neutron flux at a distance of

2.0\,\text{m}

from the centre. [1 mark]

(b)

A fuel rod is a cylinder of radius

1.0\,\text{cm}

and length

4.0\,\text{m}

. The average neutron flux over the rod is

3.0 \times 10^{18}\,\text{m}^{-2}\text{s}^{-1}

. Calculate the number of neutrons incident one fuel rod per second. [2 marks]

(c)

The non-uniform neutron flux profile means that fuel rods at different radial positions undergo fission at different rates, causing uneven heat generation. Evaluate the design challenge this creates for engineers and suggest how the fuel rod arrangement could address it. [2 marks]

Solutions

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