Question

Given equal time periods, which statement about radioactive waste is correct?

A. Radioactive decay and nuclear fission always generate the same amount of waste.
B. Nuclear fusion generates less radioactive waste than radioactive decay does.
C. Nuclear fusion generates less radioactive waste than nuclear fission does.
D. Nuclear fission generates less radioactive waste than radioactive decay does.

Answer 1

Is this talking about power plants? Or in general?

Answer 2

its basically about the nuclear structure

Answer 3

@Vandreigan

Answer 4

Well, in a particle physics sense, the question is odd. What defines waste?

In a power plant sense, fusion creates far less "waste" particles than fission does.

Are you concerned with some realm in between?

Answer 5

when the nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting high energy particles of radiation

Answer 6

@Vandreigan

Answer 7

That's fission.

Fusion is when two nuclei combine into a single nucleus.

Answer 8

so would the answer be A, because I just described radioactive decay

Answer 9

@Vandreigan

Answer 10

Fission is a type of radioactive decay, but there are other types of radioactive decay.

Answer 11

well it only has fusion and fission as an option up there so it's one of them @Vandreigan

Answer 12

What I'm saying is that I need the context of the question, but perhaps I'm just being picky. If you just want an answer by sheer particle number, fission usually releases the more particles than fusion.

Answer 13

okay thanks for the help