Question

Why did the discovery of nuclear reactions cause the separate laws of conservation of matter and conservation of energy to be combined into the law of conservation of mass-energy?
Answer

Matter is not conserved in nuclear reactions because some of the matter is converted to energy.

Nuclear reactions happen too quickly for changes in energy to be measured.

Energy is conserved in nuclear reactions but not in chemical reactions.

Only particles that move at the speed of light can overcome the laws of conservation.

Answer 1

D??
By process of elimination...please help! @JFraser

Answer 2

it's not D, sorry

Answer 3

then it would have to be B yes?

Answer 4

@abb0t

Answer 5

@paki

Answer 6

its not B, either. nuclear reactions that create a bomb happen quickly, but more reactions that still produce radiation occur very slowly, like C-14 decay

Answer 7

It's definitely not a..c then. It. Has. To. Be. C. Right?

Answer 8

it definitely IS a. that's where the energy of nuclear reactions comes from. a very small portion (tiny tiny) of the mass of the atoms is converted to energy.

it comes from the equation \(E = mc^2\), so mass can be transformed into energy

Answer 9

but...I thought matter couldn't be created or dest-oh. It's not. It's being converted. Gotchya
Thnx.

Answer 10

the simple form of the law of conservation of mass ISN'T 100% correct. In "normal" chemical reactions it is, but for nuclear reactions, a very tiny portion of the mass is converted to energy, so mass "appears" to be lost, but that's why the 2 separate laws were combined.