Question

In the preceding example, what fraction of the original neutron’s rest energy was converted into kinetic energy?

Short answer

Fraction of the original neutron's rest energy that was converted into kinetic energy is$8.51\times {10}^{-4}$ .

Step-by-step solution

Significance of the Kinetic Energy

Kinetic energy is the type of energy that an item or particle has as a result of its movement. When work is done on an object by exerting a net force, the object accelerates and gains kinetic energy as a result.

Kinetic energy is a property of a moving item or particle that is determined by its mass as well as its motion.

Step 2: Determination of the kinetic energy and original rest energy of the neutron.

The neutron's initial rest energy is expressed as follows,

$m_N{c}^2=939.6\mathrm{MeV}$

From the example, the transformed kinetic energy of the three particles is expressed as follows,

$$\begin{gathered} K_t=K_p+K_e+K_v \\ =0.8\mathrm{MeV} \end{gathered}$$

Step 3: Determination the fraction of the original rest energy of the neutron that was converted into kinetic energy.

Divide the transformed kinetic energy by the neutron's initial rest energy.

$$\begin{gathered} \frac{K_t}{m_N{c}^2}=\frac{0.8MeV}{939.6\mathrm{MeV}} \\ =8.51\times {10}^{-4} \end{gathered}$$

Thus, the fraction of the original neutron's rest energy that was converted into kinetic energy is$8.51\times {10}^{-4}$ .