What is nuclear fission?

Nuclear fission is the process on which the operation of most nuclear power plants is based. When certain nuclei (for example that of uranium-235) are bombarded with neutrons, the nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei of roughly (though not exactly) equal sizes. Because of the binding characteristics of the neutrons and protons in the original and resultant nuclei (and also the famous mass-energy relation that Einstein discovered), the result of this split is the liberation of a large amount of energy, manifested in the kinetic energy of the resultant nuclei. That is, when a uranium-235 nucleus undergoes a fission, the fission products fly apart from the original position at great speed. Extra neutrons are also produced during this fission process, and these in turn can interact with further fissionable nuclei to induce further nuclear fission reactions. In turn, these fission reactions produce yet more neutrons, and these can then induce further fission reactions. This process of ...  more

Nuclear Fission is the process by how nuclear reactors and nuclear atomic bombs (basically an uncontrolled nuclear reactor that is left to explode) work. Generally, at the quantum level, all atoms have both a strong nuclear force, pushing inward, and another force that pushes outward. The nuclear force is the force that pulls electrons towards the nucleus of an atom and allows them to continuously circle and orbit this same nucleus. This is why electrons (with a negative charge), and protons (with a positive charge), do not repel as we would imagine would normally occur with a positively and negatively charged magnet when held near eachother. However, let's say we fire a neutron (with no electrical charge) towards the nucleus of an atom. Since the strong nuclear force only acts on, let's say, protons or electrons that are near the nucleus with electric charges, the neutron would reach the nucleus of the atom and thus be absorbed by it. Uranium-235 is the material generally used in ...  more

Nuclear fission is the splitting of an atom's nucleus, thus creating two products of roughly half the mass of the original. During the process, some neutrons are also released. This process releases a substantial amount of energy. Nuclear fission is the physical process responsible for all types of power generation, including that used in both nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. There are a number of elements that can be used in nuclear fission, but the most common is uranium. This material is popular for a number of different reasons, but two of the most important are that it is plentiful, and there are isotopes of uranium that are easy to split. The most commonly used isotope of uranium for nuclear energy production is called U-235. In addition to U-235, plutonium is another substance sometimes used for nuclear power. For the purposes of nuclear power generation, enriched uranium is needed. This must be approximately 2 to 3 percent U-235 in order to work as it is supposed to. ...  more

Nuclear fission is a phenomenon in which a heavy nucleus, splits into two smaller nuclei, called the fission products, mostly of unequal masses, one often with nearly half the mass as the other, and rarely of equal masses. This reaction gives off a large amount of energy and emits two or more neutrons, and gamma rays. Fission can occur spontaneously, and it could be induced by bombarding the heavy nucleus with particles like neutron. The probability of spontaneous fission is very low. In the context of atomic energy (i.e. nuclear energy), fission implies neutron-induced fission. When a neutron hits a heavy nuclide like U-235, the neutron gets absorbed in the heavy nuclide that gets energetically agitated (or excited). If the new energy state of the heavy nuclide is sufficient for it to split, then it can split to cause fission. The probability of fissioning depends on the type of heavy nuclide, and is sensitive to neutron energy. Further, when neutron hits a heavy nuclide, fission is ...  more

The process whereby the nucleus of a particular heavy element splits into (generally) two nuclei of lighter elements, with the release of substantial amounts of energy. (Atomic Archive Glossary) Fission was discovered in 1934 when Enrico Fermi of Italy irradiated uranium with neutrons and believed he had produced the first transuranic element. In 1938 Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann of Germany split the uranium atom by bombarding it with neutrons and showed that the elements barium and krypton were formed. Fermi, Hahn and Strassmann did, however, not realize that they had in fact induced a fission reaction. Only later research by others established the necessary knowledge about the nuclear fission process.  more

Nuclear fission is the splitting of an atom into several smaller fragments. This is induced by bombarding an atom of fuel (usually uranium-235 but could also be plutonium-239, uranium-233, and possibly thorium-232) with neutrons. The fissionable atom then captures the neutron and splits (decays) into two smaller atoms (isotopes such as iodine-131, caesium-137 and strontium 90) and two or three neutrons, which go on to split other fissionable nuclei resulting in a chain reaction. The combined weight of the fission products is less than the weight of the original nucleus and following Einstein's E=mc2 this loss of mass (about 0.1% of the original mass) is converted into the massive energy output of the reaction. There are many problems with this technique, the most famous and most crucial is the safety aspect. The products of the fission are all highly radioactive and the process itself results in a substantial amount of both beta and gamma radiation. There is no safe, permanent way to ...  more