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    Introduction To Fission and Fusion

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    Christine Losañes
    Nuclear fission and fusion both deal with interactions between atomic nuclei that produce large amounts of energy. Fission involves splitting heavy atomic nuclei, while fusion combines two light nuclei into a heavier one. Both processes harness the ability of mass to be converted into vast quantities of energy according to Einstein's equation E=mc2.

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    Introduction To Fission and Fusion

    Uploaded by

    Christine Losañes
    75 views19 pages
    Nuclear fission and fusion both deal with interactions between atomic nuclei that produce large amounts of energy. Fission involves splitting heavy atomic nuclei, while fusion combines two light nuclei into a heavier one. Both processes harness the ability of mass to be converted into vast quantities of energy according to Einstein's equation E=mc2.

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    Introduction to Fission and Fusion

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    Nuclear fission and fusion both deal with interactions between atomic nuclei that produce large amounts of energy. Fission involves splitting heavy atomic nuclei, while fusion combines two light nuclei into a heavier one. Both processes harness the ability of mass to be converted into vast quantities of energy according to Einstein's equation E=mc2.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    75 views19 pages

    Introduction To Fission and Fusion

    Uploaded by

    Christine Losañes
    Nuclear fission and fusion both deal with interactions between atomic nuclei that produce large amounts of energy. Fission involves splitting heavy atomic nuclei, while fusion combines two light nuclei into a heavier one. Both processes harness the ability of mass to be converted into vast quantities of energy according to Einstein's equation E=mc2.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 19

    Nuclear Reactions:

    AN INTRODUCTION TO
    FISSION & FUSION

    Farley Visitors Center


    Introduction

     Nuclear reactions deal with interactions


    between the nuclei of atoms
     The focus of this presentation are the
    processes of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion
     Both fission and fusion processes deal with
    matter and energy
    Matter and Energy

     Previous studies have taught us that “matter


    and energy cannot be created nor destroyed”
     We now need to understand that Matter and
    Energy are two forms of the same thing
    E = mc2

     Matter can be changed into Energy


     Einstein’s formula above tells us how the change
    occurs
     In the equation above:
    E = Energy
    m = Mass
    c = Speed of Light (Universal Constant)

    Light
    Energy Mass
    Speed
    E = mc2

     The equation may be read as follows:


    Energy (E) is equal to Mass (m) multiplied
    by the Speed of Light (c) squared
     This tells us that a small amount of mass can
    be converted into a very large amount of
    energy because the speed of light (c) is an
    extremely large number
    Fission

     Fission may be defined as the process of


    splitting an atomic nucleus into fission
    fragments
     The fission fragments are generally in the form
    of smaller atomic nuclei and neutrons
     Large amounts of energy are produced by the
    fission process
    Fission

     Fissile nuclei are generally heavy atoms with


    large numbers of nucleons
     The nuclei of such heavy atoms are struck by
    neutrons initiating the fission process
     Fission occurs due to electrostatic repulsion
    created by large numbers of protons within the
    nuclei of heavy atoms
    Fission

     A classic example of a fission reaction is that of


    U-235:
    U-235 + 1 Neutron
    2 Neutrons + Kr-92 + Ba-142 + Energy
     In this example, a stray neutron strikes an atom of U-235.
    It absorbs the neutron and becomes an unstable atom of
    U-236. It then undergoes fission. Notice that more
    neutrons are released in the reaction. These neutrons
    can strike other U-235 atoms to initiate their fission.
    Fission

     The fission process is an a natural one as a


    French researcher found a natural uranium
    reactor in Gabon, West Africa; it has been
    estimated to be over 2 billion years old
     Fission produces large amounts of heat energy
    and it is this heat that is captured by nuclear
    power plants to produce electricity
    Fusion

     Fusion is a nuclear reaction whereby two light


    atomic nuclei fuse or combine to form a single
    larger, heavier nucleus
     The fusion process generates tremendous
    amounts of energy; refer back to Einstein’s
    equation
     For fusion to occur, a large amount of energy
    is needed to overcome the electrical charges
    of the nuclei and fuse them together
    Fusion

     Fusion reactions do not occur naturally on our


    planet but are the principal type of reaction
    found in stars
     The large masses, densities, and high
    temperatures of stars provide the initial
    energies needed to fuel fusion reactions
     The sun fuses hydrogen atoms to produce
    helium, subatomic particles, and vast amounts
    of energy
    Review

     Mass and Energy are two forms of the same


    thing; neither can be created nor destroyed but
    mass can be converted into energy (E = mc2)
     Fission is a nuclear reaction in which a heavy
    atomic nucleus is split into lighter atomic nuclei
     Fusion is a nuclear reaction in which 2 light
    atomic nuclei are combined into a single,
    heavier atomic nucleus
    Quiz

     Which nuclear process produces large


    amounts of energy?
    A. Fission
    B. Fusion
    C. Both fission & fusion
    D. Neither fission nor fusion
    Quiz

     Fission is the process that _________ atomic


    nuclei.
    A. Combines
    B. Burns up
    C. Stores
    D. Splits
    Quiz

     Mass may be converted into energy.


    A. True
    B. False
    Quiz

     The fission process requires heavy


    atomic nuclei.
    A. True
    B. False
    Quiz

     Name a nuclear reaction that occurs


    within the sun:
    Quiz

     Fission is a natural process that occurs


    on the planet Earth.
    A. True
    B. False
    Quiz

     Explain this equation:

    E = mc2

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