Nuclear Fission and Fusion Flashcards

Flashcards about Nuclear Fission and Fusion

Nuclear Fission

A process where a heavy nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy.

Chain Reaction

A self-sustaining series of fissions caused by the release of neutrons in each fission inducing further fissions.

Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239

Isotopes commonly used in nuclear fission due to their ability to undergo fission when they absorb a neutron.

Critical Mass

The minimum amount of fissile material needed to sustain a nuclear chain reaction.

Exothermic Reaction

A reaction that releases energy, such as nuclear fission.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Japanese cities where atomic bombs were dropped, resulting in the vaporization of people due to the extreme heat.

Enrico Fermi

Italian scientist who discovered the slow-moving neutron and consulted on the Manhattan Project.

Control Rods

Materials, like germanium, used in nuclear reactors to absorb neutrons and control the rate of fission.

Chernobyl

Site of a nuclear disaster where control rods failed to prevent a runaway reaction, leading to explosions and radioactive contamination.

Subcritical Mass

A mass of fissile material insufficient to sustain a chain reaction.

Nuclear Fusion

A process where two small nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing an immense amount of energy.

Hydrogen and Helium in Stars

The primary elements involved in nuclear fusion in stars, producing light and energy.

Energy comparison- Nuclear reactions to chemical reactions

Fusion is approximately four times stronger, and nuclear reactions are approximately 1,000,000 times stronger than chemical reactions gram for gram.

Conditions for Fusion on Earth

Requires extremely high temperatures, near 100,000,000 degrees Celsius, due to the lack of gravity.

Cold Fusion

An attempt to achieve fusion at temperatures lower than 100,000,000 degrees Celsius.

Half-Life

The time required for half of a radioactive element's nuclei to decay.

Half-Life Equation

The amount of sample remaining equals the initial number of grams multiplied by one over two to the power of the number of half-lives.

Carbon-14 Dating

A method for determining the age of organic materials by measuring the amount of carbon-14 remaining in a sample.

Yucca Mountain

A location in Nevada designated for long-term storage of high-level radioactive waste.