Suppose we consider the fission of a $^{56}_{26} ext{Fe}$ nucleus into two equal fragments of $^{28

Question

Suppose we consider the fission of a $^{56}_{26}	ext{Fe}$ nucleus into two equal fragments of $^{28}_{13}	ext{Al}$. Given that the binding energy per nucleon of Fe is higher than that of Al, this fission process is:

Professor PC Thomas Classes · Answer

Because $^{56}_{26}	ext{Fe}$ is at the peak of the binding energy curve, breaking it into lighter fragments results in a system with lower total binding energy, meaning energy must be supplied. The Q-value is negative.