Question
A student writes out an equation to represent a fission reaction. How can the student check that the equation is correctly written?(1 point)
Responses
The total mass number of the reactants should equal the total mass number of the products.
The total mass number of the reactants should equal the total mass number of the products.
The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants.
The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants.
The mass number of the products should be equal to the atomic number of the products.
The mass number of the products should be equal to the atomic number of the products.
The total number of atoms in the products should be equal to the number of atoms in the reactants.
Responses
The total mass number of the reactants should equal the total mass number of the products.
The total mass number of the reactants should equal the total mass number of the products.
The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants.
The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants.
The mass number of the products should be equal to the atomic number of the products.
The mass number of the products should be equal to the atomic number of the products.
The total number of atoms in the products should be equal to the number of atoms in the reactants.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To check that a fission reaction equation is correctly written, the student can evaluate the following statement:
**The total mass number of the reactants should equal the total mass number of the products.**
This ensures that the law of conservation of mass is upheld in the nuclear reaction. Additionally, **the number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants** is another valid check.
It's important to clarify that while the mass number of the products does not equal the atomic number of the products, the total mass numbers of the reactants and products must match. Thus, the first option is the most precise answer for checking the correctness of the fission reaction equation.
**The total mass number of the reactants should equal the total mass number of the products.**
This ensures that the law of conservation of mass is upheld in the nuclear reaction. Additionally, **the number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants** is another valid check.
It's important to clarify that while the mass number of the products does not equal the atomic number of the products, the total mass numbers of the reactants and products must match. Thus, the first option is the most precise answer for checking the correctness of the fission reaction equation.