Question

U-235 can decay by many ways, let us here consider only two ways, A and B. In decay of U-235 by means of A, the energy released per fission is $210MeV$ while in B it is $186MeV$. Then, the uranium-235 sample is more likely to decay by

• A. scheme A
• B. scheme B
• C. equally likely for both schemes
• D. it depends on half-life of schemes A and B

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

scheme A

Every atom has a tendency to reach the lowest energy state to be most stable.
The more the energy released, the higher will be the binding energy/nucleon in the products and hence more stability.
Hence A is more likely.