1
Nuclear fission is best explained by
- liquid drop model
- Yukawa -meson theory
- independent particle model of the nucleus
- proton-proton cycle
Answer
(1) liquid drop model
Solution
In the liquid drop model, the nucleus behaves like a drop of charged incompressible liquid held together by nuclear forces (like surface tension).
⇒ When a heavy nucleus absorbs a neutron, the drop is excited and becomes elongated.
⇒ Coulomb repulsion between the two ends then exceeds the binding effect, and the nucleus splits into two fragments.
∴ Nuclear fission is best explained by the liquid drop model. (Yukawa theory explains nuclear force, the independent particle model explains shell structure, and the proton-proton cycle is a fusion process.)
Answer: (1)
AIPMT 2000