Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Nuclear power stations and the sun both draw their energy from atomic nuclei. In a reactor, a neutron strikes a nucleus of uranium-235. The nucleus splits into two nuclei and a few neutrons. About 200 MeV of energy is released each time a uranium nucleus splits in this way. A reactor uses this energy to produce electricity. The sun works in a different way. In its core, very light nuclei, such as those of hydrogen, join to form heavier nuclei. These nuclei are positively charged and repel each other. So the joining takes place only at a very high temperature, where the nuclei move fast enough to come very close. Scientists are also trying to make light nuclei join in a controlled way on the earth.
The energy released when a uranium nucleus splits first appears as
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → kinetic energy of the new nuclei and the neutrons
Right after the split, the two new nuclei and the neutrons fly apart at high speed. As they collide with the surrounding matter, this kinetic energy is passed on as heat. A reactor uses that heat to make electricity, so heat and electrical energy come only later.
NCERT (2026-27):
Fission – “The disintegration energy in fission events first appears as the kinetic energy of the fragments and neutrons. Eventually it is transferred to the surrounding matter appearing as heat. …”