Aha Trivia Stuff Everyone Should Know
Aha Trivia: Stuff Everyone Should Know · ahatrivia.com/mb-nuclear-science-6b9adc9d632b

Why can heavy nuclei undergo fission and release energy?

Binding energy per nucleon decreases for nuclei heavier than nickel-62.

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  1. Heavy nuclei have no neutrons
  2. Fission creates new protons from nothing
  3. Binding energy per nucleon decreases for nuclei heavier than nickel-62 ✔

Why: For nuclei heavier than nickel-62, binding energy per nucleon falls, so splitting can release energy.

Huh, didn't know that: For nuclei heavier than nickel-62, binding energy per nucleon falls, so splitting can release energy.

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Heavy nuclei can split and still come out ahead on energy.
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References

Answer: Binding energy per nucleon decreases for nuclei heavier than nickel-62. For nuclei heavier than nickel-62, binding energy per nucleon falls, so splitting can release energy.

  1. Nuclear physics en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_physics
    For nuclei heavier than nickel-62 the binding energy per nucleon decreases with the mass number
    Checked 2026-11-07.

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