Why does splitting an atom create energy? And why is it so much energy?
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Imagine two balls attached to each other via very strong springs. If you pull on them slightly and let go, the springs will pull them back to their initial position.
If you however pull hard enough, the springs eventually snap and you suddenly recoil and fling the ball across the room. That kinetic energy is then being transferred to the other atoms ie. heat is generated.
This is more or less analogous to the limited range of the strong nuclear force. The only difference is that in nuclear fission the repulsive force does not come externally but rather from the Coloumb-Force between the components of the atom. You just have to snap the strings by pulling them far apart and that happens due to an atoms instability.
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