In the fall of 2002, a group of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory determined that the critical mass of neptunium-237 is about 60 kg. The critical mass of a fissionable material is the minimum amount that must be brought together to start a chain reaction. This element has a density of 19.5 g/cm3 .What would be the radius of a sphere of this material that has a critical mass?
I just want to think this through more than Alan needed to.
Volumeofsphere=43πr3 Needtofindrcm
Density=19.5gcm3
Ifthereis19.5gcm3Thenitwouldalsobetruetosaythattherearecm319.5g
mass=60kg=60000g
so
cm319.5g×60000g=3076.923cm3The grams cancel out
3076.923=43πr33076.923∗3/(4π)=r3r=3√3076.923∗3/(4π)r=9.023cm
(3076.923×3(4×π))(13)=9.022827882792352
Density is mass per unit volume, so volume = mass/density. Volume of a sphere is (4/3)pi*r3, where r is the radius. Put these together to get
r = (3*mass/[4pi*density])1/3.
r=(3×60000(4×π×19.5))(13)⇒r=9.022827957982585
r ≈ 9 cm
(Note that I've expressed the mass as 60000 grams because the density is given as grams/cm3)
I just want to think this through more than Alan needed to.
Volumeofsphere=43πr3 Needtofindrcm
Density=19.5gcm3
Ifthereis19.5gcm3Thenitwouldalsobetruetosaythattherearecm319.5g
mass=60kg=60000g
so
cm319.5g×60000g=3076.923cm3The grams cancel out
3076.923=43πr33076.923∗3/(4π)=r3r=3√3076.923∗3/(4π)r=9.023cm
(3076.923×3(4×π))(13)=9.022827882792352