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NUCLEAR FUSION
NUCLEAR FISSION
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa/atoms_radiation/nuclearact.shtml
Fission
Fusion
Nuclear Fission and Fusion
Fission: Splitting a heavy nucleus into two nuclei with smaller mass numbers.
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56142
3691
013n U Ba Kr n
Fission
Nuclear Fission & POWER
• Currently about
103 nuclear power
plants in the U.S.
and about 435
worldwide.
• 17% of the
world’s energy
comes from
nuclear.
Nuclear Fission and Fusion
Fusion: Combining two light nuclei to form a heavier, more stable nucleus.
23
11
24
10He H He e
Fusion
The Sun
Energy and MassNuclear changes occur with small but measurable losses of mass. The mass is converted to energy according to Einstein’s equation:
E = mc2
m = mass E = change in energy
c = speed of light
Because c2 is so large, even small amounts of mass are converted to enormous amount of energy.
Lets do this!
A Fission Reactor
Fission Processes
Event
NeutronsCausingFission Result
subcritical < 1 reaction stopscritical = 1 sustained reactionsupercritical > 1 violent explosion
A self-sustaining fission process is called a chain reaction.