Question

Which quantity can be calculated using the equation E = mc2?
A. The Energy needed to split an atom into separate protons,Neutrons and Electrons
B. The Energy needed to split the nucleus into separate protons and neutrons
C. The energy needed to remove an electron from an atom
D. The Energy needed to add an electron to an atom

Answer 1

The correct answer is

A: the energy needed to split an atom into separate protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Explanation:

Whenever an atom is split, mass is lost (or converted to energy). Subatomic particles can be broken into smaller subatomic particles. The amount of energy released is equal to the amount of mass converted times the speed of light squared. This is summed up in Einstein's equation E=mc2.

This equation appeared in the report, prepared for the US government in 1945 during the second world war to make an atomic bomb that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.