What is the difference between Fission and Fusion? How are they alike?

Question

What is the difference between Fission and Fusion? How are they alike? Please help

Answer 1

They both deal with nuclear reactions, but that's where the similarities end. In essense they are opposites of each other.

Fission is to split an atom's nucleus. The famous case is the splitting of U-235, which splits the nucleus into two smaller nuclei, and 2 to 3 free neutrons, along with a lot of energy. This is what the atomic bomb is.

Fusion is the opposite: to collide two small nuclei together to form one bigger one. The example for this is the fusion of helium from two hydrogen nuclei. This is what happens in the core of the sun and every other star to make it so bright and so hot, and it is used in thermonuclear devices as well.

Answer 2

To put it simply, fission is the process by which heavier particles breakup into lighter ones and fusion is just the opposite. In fission, a heavy nucleus disintegrates into two or more lighter nuclei and particles. On the other hand, in fusion, two light nuclei combine (or fuse) to form a heavier nuclei. Fusion produces more energy than fission. Fusion needs a lot of energy to be initiated while fission does not.

Answer 3

Fission is the breaking up of an atom into lighter elements (as in nuclear reactors)
Fission is the conversion of a lighter element into a heavier element (as in the sun where hydrogen is transformed into helium)
Both are nuclear reactions and evolve tremendous amounts of energy. The energy=E=mc^2

Answer 4

Both are nuclear reactions that (usually) release energy.
Fission is the splitting of an atomic nucleus into smaller, lighter elements. Fusion is the combining of two atomic nuclei to form a larger nucleus.