Fission and Fusion of Atomic Nuclei
I. Nuclear Fission Fission - The splitting of the nucleus into fragments (division) Uranium-235 is struck by a neutron and forms Ba-141, Kr-92, and additional neutrons. Neutron
II. Chain Reaction Chain reaction – Nucleus captures a neutron and splits into fragments and produces three neutrons – Products start a new reaction Critical mass – The minimum mass required to support a self-sustaining chain reaction
III. Nuclear Fusion Fusion - combining atomic nuclei to produce a nucleus of greater mass Fusion reactions release more energy than fission reactions Sun is powered by fusion
euterium ritium
Question Time What is fission? What is a chain reaction? What is critical mass? What is fusion? Where do we find fusion?
IV. Nuclear Binding Energy The energy required to break a nucleus into its individual protons and neutrons Energy released in a nuclear reaction is much greater than in chemical reactions
V. Mass Defect When breaking apart a nucleus, there is a change in mass called the mass defect. The change in mass was converted to energy. We know this as E=mc 2
VI. Nuclear Reactors The purpose of nuclear reactors is to keep the chain reaction going without letting it get out of control
Diablo Canyon
San Onofre
Fukushima, Japan
VII. Nuclear Bombs Atomic Bomb Uses fission Uses enriched uranium-235 or plutonium Nagasaki and Hiroshima Hydrogen Bomb Uses fusion 1000 time more powerful than atomic bomb Uses deuterium 2 H and tritium 3 H
Sources noyonews.net enformable.com activerain.com thesportdigest.com