Why does splitting an atom create energy? And why is it so much energy?
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The strong force holds atoms together. It takes a different amount of energy to hold different atoms together. The energy required is highest at hydrogen, then it goes down until iron, and then back up at higher elements.
So when you go from hydrogen to helium, that smaller level of energy required is released. You can actually measure a small change in mass of the element, that mass is stored energy(E=MC^2).
It’s very similar to how chemical energy works. Chemical energy is just the weak force where different molecules require different energy to hold together. Typically the bigger the molecules, and the more carbons/hydrogens/nitrogens involved the more energy is required. The more energy required means more energy released.
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