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Mass-Energy Equivalence

Edexcel A-level PhysicsNuclear EnergyLesson 1 of 8

In radioactive decay, energy is released. The total mass of all the decay products after the decay is less than the total mass of the nucleus before the decay as some of the mass has been converted to the energy released. The relationship between the energy released Q and the difference in mass Δm is that Q = Δmc2 where c is the speed of light in a vacuum.

Diagram

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