Which statement describes why energy is released in a nuclear fission reaction based on mass-energy equivalence?

Explanation:

The correct statement is: For large nuclei, the mass of the original nucleus is greater than the mass of the products.

According to mass-energy equivalence (E=mc^2), during a nuclear fission reaction, a heavy nucleus splits into lighter nuclei. The mass of the original nucleus is greater than the combined mass of the resulting lighter nuclei. This decrease in mass results in the release of energy.