A neutron in a nuclear reactor makes an elastic, head-on collision with the nucl

Question

A neutron in a nuclear reactor makes an elastic, head-on collision with the nucleus of a carbon atom initially at rest. (I just need help with part B)

(a) What fraction of the neutron's kinetic energy is transferred to the carbon nucleus? (The mass of the carbon nucleus is about 12.0 times the mass of the neutron.) Answer for (a): .28

(b) The initial kinetic energy of the neutron is 1.10 10-13 J. Find its final kinetic energy and the kinetic energy of the carbon nucleus after the collision. neutron_______J carbon nucleus _______J

Explanation / Answer

PART B)

The fraction of the neutron's kinetic energy is transferred to the carbon nucleus is f =0.28 as obtained in PART A

Now for given energy of E = 1.10×10¹³J (subscript 1 refers to neutron, 2 refers to Carbon nucleus)

Carbon: E' = fE = 0.28 1.10×10¹³J = 0.308×10¹³J
Neutron: E' = (1 - f)E = (1 - 0.28) 1.10×10¹³J = 0.792×10¹³J

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.