Wiz_Kalita t1_j4s134f wrote on January 17, 2023 at 9:26 PM Reply to comment by TerjiD in If nuclear fission in U-235 causes the atom to be split into 2 smaller atoms (such as Kr-92 and Ba-141) then how is it that U-236 is produced as waste since the U-235 was just split into smaller peices? by Ian98766 It's decay because the atom is going from a higher energy state to a lower energy state. It's very much like rolling down a hill except instead of picking up speed it converts potential energy into radiation. Permalink Parent 4
Wiz_Kalita t1_j4s134f wrote
Reply to comment by TerjiD in If nuclear fission in U-235 causes the atom to be split into 2 smaller atoms (such as Kr-92 and Ba-141) then how is it that U-236 is produced as waste since the U-235 was just split into smaller peices? by Ian98766
It's decay because the atom is going from a higher energy state to a lower energy state. It's very much like rolling down a hill except instead of picking up speed it converts potential energy into radiation.