In the fission of uranium atoms, a chain reaction is caused by?

Question

a) the enormous energy release
b) the kinetic energy of the decay products
c) ejected neutrons
d) the conversion of mass to energy
e) none of these

Answer 1

your answer would be c) ejected neutrons

Answer 2

I would agree with answer "c". The ejected neutrons cause adjacent atoms to split, which releases more neutrons, etc. If the atoms are packed closely enough, you get a chain reaction. The closer they are, the faster the chain reaction, and the more heat is produced. If controlled with graphite rods, this heat can be used to produce steam and electricity in power plants. If you have too many closely packed atoms, the chain reaction goes so fast that you have an atomic bomb situation. The amount is called "critical mass".