can yellow split peas be used the same as yellow mung beans

You can substitute yellow splits for chana dal without a problem, but mung dal takes about half the time to cook, so you'll need more water and more time.

I don't know what you're making, but I did recently use whole yellow peas in a dal recipe. I was pleased (and relieved!) by how well it turned out.

These two previous threads talk about some of the differences to expect if you substitute: http://food52.com/hotline/11093-is-mung-bean-same-as-yellow-split-peas and http://food52.com/hotline/20939-but-please-could-someone-explain-to-me-are-yellow-split-peas-and-chana-daal-the-same-thing-or-not-t