Question

When Einstein came up with E = mc^2, (which means Energy = Mass ⨉ the Speed of Light squared) he proved that energy and mass, which most people thought of as two totally separate things, were actually the same. Matter, including the nuclei of atoms, is made up of particles held together by forms of energy. Based on Einstein's formula, scientists realized that a little bit of mass could equal a whole lot of energy. As he and other scientists learned more about the physics of the atom over the next 30 years, they discovered that they could release huge amounts of energy by breaking apart the bonds that hold the nuclei of atoms together. But since nuclear fission only dissolves the bonds holding together the nucleus of an atom, it only destroys a very small amount of matter. What’s leftover is what we call “nuclear waste.”

If all the matter in your body were to be annihilated, an insane amount of energy would be released. If you weigh 150 pounds, for example, the energy released would be 6.1 quintillion joules of energy. A quintillion is a billion billion! That's the same amount of energy in 48 billion gallons of gas, and it's all stored within your atoms.

Nuclear waste is
A
the energy from nuclear fission that is converted to thermal energy.
B
the bonds that hold the nuclei of atoms together.
C
what remains after nuclear fission dissolves the nuclei of atoms.
D
the amount of matter destroyed during a nuclear reaction.

Answer 1

Nuclear waste is C: what remains after nuclear fission dissolves the nuclei of atoms.