Nuclear fission—also known as atomic fission—is a process in nuclear physics in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei as fission products, and usually some by-product particles. Hence, fission is a form of elemental transmutation. The by-products include free neutrons, photons usually in the form gamma rays, and other nuclear fragments such as beta particles and alpha particles. Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction and can release substantial amounts of useful energy both as gamma rays and as kinetic energy of the fragments (heating the bulk material where fission takes place).
Nuclear fission produces energy for nuclear power and to drive explosion of nuclear weapons. Fission is useful as a power source because some materials, called nuclear fuels, both generate neutrons as part of the fission process and also undergo triggered fission when impacted by a free neutron. Nuclear fuels can be part of a self-sustaining chain reaction that releases energy at a controlled rate in a nuclear reactor or at a very rapid uncontrolled rate in a nuclear weapon.
The amount of free energy contained in nuclear fuel is millions of times the amount of free energy contained in a similar mass of chemical fuel such as gasoline, making nuclear fission a very tempting source of energy; however, the waste products of nuclear fission are highly radioactive and remain so for millennia, giving rise to a nuclear waste problem. Concerns over nuclear waste accumulation and over the immense destructive potential of nuclear weapons counterbalance the desirable qualities of fission as an energy source, and give rise to intense ongoing political debate over nuclear power.
here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission#Physical_overview
2006-11-12 02:36:33
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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The components of the atomic nucleus, positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons, must be held together in opposition to the electrostatic repulsive force exerted by the protons on each other. This holding force represents a "binding energy" that current theory calls the "strong (nuclear) force".
When a massive nucleus fissions, some of the strong force is released and many pieces fly away at high velocities, carrying away energy either kinetically as mass-in-motion or electromagnetically as photons, typically gamma rays. All of this energy can be attributed to energy that was stored in the strong force.
From Einstein's famous equation, E = MC^2, mass and energy are equivalent ways of expressing the same thing. If a mass calculation is made of the sum of the fission products, we discover that what we had before the fission does not equal what we had after. Some of the mass has "disappeared," converted to kinetic and electromagnetic energy. Careful measurements of this energy confirm that the quantity of energy released closely corresponds to the missing mass multiplied by the square of the velocity of light.
Where did this missing energy come from? It was stored in the binding energy that held the pre-fission nucleus together and contributed to its mass.
Not all nuclei release energy when fission-ed. Some absorb energy. All the lighter elements up to the atomic mass of iron require more energy to fission than the energy that appears after the fission occurs. Conversely, fusing these lighter elements does release energy because the binding energy of the fused nuclei is less than the binding energies of the nuclei separated. The "extra" binding energy is converted to kinetic energy of the fused nucleus, kinetic energy of any other particles produced as a result of the fusion, and gamma ray energy.
2006-11-12 03:15:01
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answer #2
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answered by hevans1944 5
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Nuclear fission is exhibited via uranium (and thorium), wherein the nucleus flies aside into 2 or extra products, and emits neutrons interior the approach. If the fission is instigated via capture of a neutron, then a chain reaction is possible, and potential could be produced or an explosive made. The fragments tend to be relatively radioactive, and pose a risk to workers and kit, so particular techniques are required to construct secure potential reactors. Nuclear fusion is the aggregate of light nuclei to make heavier ones, as interior the solar the place hydrogen atoms are blended to make helium. the approach produces a number of situations extra potential than fission on a pound-for-pound foundation, yet won't be able to be set as much as be a chain reaction as hydrogen does not react at temperatures below many hundreds of thousands of stages.
2016-12-14 05:49:50
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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Nuclear fission—also known as atomic fission—is a process in nuclear physics in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei as fission products, and usually some by-product particles. Hence, fission is a form of elemental transmutation. The by-products include free neutrons, photons usually in the form gamma rays, and other nuclear fragments such as beta particles and alpha particles. Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction and can release substantial amounts of useful energy both as gamma rays and as kinetic energy of the fragments (heating the bulk material where fission takes place).
Nuclear fission produces energy for nuclear power and to drive explosion of nuclear weapons. Fission is useful as a power source because some materials, called nuclear fuels, both generate neutrons as part of the fission process and also undergo triggered fission when impacted by a free neutron. Nuclear fuels can be part of a self-sustaining chain reaction that releases energy at a controlled rate in a nuclear reactor or at a very rapid uncontrolled rate in a nuclear weapon.
The amount of free energy contained in nuclear fuel is millions of times the amount of free energy contained in a similar mass of chemical fuel such as gasoline, making nuclear fission a very tempting source of energy; however, the waste products of nuclear fission are highly radioactive and remain so for millennia, giving rise to a nuclear waste problem. Concerns over nuclear waste accumulation and over the immense destructive potential of nuclear weapons counterbalance the desirable qualities of fission as an energy source, and give rise to intense ongoing political debate over nuclear power.
here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nuclear_fis...
2006-11-12 02:42:35
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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Nuclear fission. I remember something about it, like you bombard a nucleus with neutrons to separate them into many nuclei. So can the source of energy be the internal energy of the neutrons?
Sorry i cant help much=(
2006-11-12 02:39:36
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answer #5
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answered by luv_phy 3
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its simple
there is a slight loss in the atomic mass which gets converted into energy by the relation e=mc(squared)
2006-11-12 03:37:21
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answer #6
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answered by Apoorv g 2
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nuclear level bombardment, seperation, disection.
2006-11-12 03:00:33
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answer #7
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answered by foulweathercatcherman 3
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mass
2006-11-12 05:04:00
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answer #8
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answered by Ormoz 3
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