nuclear fission![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Process by which the atoms’ nuclei become fragmented (e.g., in a nuclear reactor); neutrons are released and energy is produced in the form of heat.
chain reaction ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
During nuclear fission, parts of the atom’s nucleus that have been broken off by collision with the neutron will in turn bombard other nuclei to produce more fission.
fissionable nucleus ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Only heavy nuclei, such as those of uranium and plutonium, can undergo fission following a collision with a neutron.
fission products (radioactive nuclei) ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The nuclei of unstable atoms produced by fission emit rays that can be harmful to living organisms.
energy release ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Nuclear fission is accompanied by a very large release of energy, which is derived from the forces that caused the nucleus’s cohesion.
nucleus splitting ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
When the atom’s nucleus is bombarded by a neutron, it absorbs it and becomes unstable; it then divides into two smaller nuclei usually of identical size.
fissionable nucleus ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Only heavy nuclei, such as those of uranium and plutonium, can undergo fission following a collision with a neutron.
incident neutron ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The fission of a nucleus releases two or three neutrons, which in turn bombard other nuclei and divide them.
incident neutron ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
A free neutron comes into collision with an atom’s nucleus, which it then splits.