Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to re: If only we could dive down to the smallest particle

Some more thoughts on E=M c squared

Man has proven this by turning U 235 atoms into Kr 92 + Ba 141 plus energy

But what is the Energy? It is in the form of gamma rays.

So a tiny part of the Uranium’s mass is being turned into gamma energy. Matter being transformed into energy.

My thinking is that matter is made up of this gamma energy and that this reaction is just freeing some of it. Some force, which I think has something to do with the force of gravity (Perhaps gravity is a by product of this force), is holding the gamma energy together into the smallest known particles, Fermions.

Here is some good info about Fermions

Some good info about the matter to energy here

Notable part quoted below;

“The by-products include free neutrons, photons usually in the form gamma rays, and other nuclear fragments such as beta particles and alpha particles. Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction and can release substantial amounts of useful energy both as gamma rays and as kinetic energy of the fragments (heating the bulk material where fission takes place).”

Good Graphic here

Some more good info;
235U + 1 neutron 2 neutrons + 92Kr + 142Ba + ENERGY
You might have been wondering, "Where does the energy come from?". The mass seems to be the same on both sides of the reaction:
235 + 1 = 2 + 92 + 142 = 236
Thus, it seems that no mass is converted into energy. However, this is not entirely correct. The mass of an atom is more than the sum of the individual masses of its protons and neutrons, which is what those numbers represent. Extra mass is a result of the binding energy that holds the protons and neutrons of the nucleus together. Thus, when the uranium atom is split, some of the energy that held it together is released as radiation in the form of heat. Because energy and mass are one and the same, the energy released is also mass released. Therefore, the total mass does decrease a tiny bit during the reaction.
The above was taken from here

And the below was taken from here

Why does splitting a uranium atom release energy?
The answer has to do with Einstein's most famous equation -- E=mc² -- which essentially says that energy is directly related to mass.
Under the right conditions, a uranium atom will split into two smaller atoms and throw off two or sometimes three neutrons in the process. (Neutrons are the glue that hold atoms together.)
The combined mass of these resulting particles tends to be roughly 99.9 percent of the mass of the original uranium atom. The other 0.1 percent of the original mass got converted to energy, as Einstein described.
The energy is released in the form of gamma rays. These rays are similar to X-rays and can cause burns, cancer and genetic mutations in living things. They can be slowed or stopped with thick walls of concrete, lead or packed dirt.

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