where E s 0 and E c 0 are the surface and Coulomb energies of the undistorted spherical drops, respectively, and α α 2 is the quadrupole distortion parameter. When the changes in the Coulomb and surface energies ( Δ Δ E c = E c 0 − − E c , Δ Δ E s = E s 0 − − E s ) are equal, the nucleus becomes unstable with respect to fission. At that point, the relationship between the undistorted surface and Coulomb energies becomes: