One pound of uranium can produce as much energy as how many pounds of coal?

Uranium is a highly dense source of energy due to the process of nuclear fission, where the nucleus of uranium atoms is split to release a tremendous amount of energy. This energy output is significantly greater than that of conventional fossil fuels, such as coal.

Specifically, one pound of uranium can produce approximately 3 million pounds of energy in terms of equivalent coal energy output. This vast difference stems from the efficiency and energy density of nuclear energy compared to coal combustion, where much larger quantities of coal would be needed to generate the same amount of energy as a relatively small amount of uranium.

Understanding this relationship emphasizes the advantages of nuclear energy in terms of fuel efficiency and the capability of generating large amounts of energy from a smaller volume of fuel, highlighting the importance of energy density in discussions about energy sources.