Nuclear Fission and Fusion Flashcards
Who discovered fission?
Fermi and later Meitner, Strassman, and Hahn
What is nuclear fission?
The splitting of an atom in other atoms and subatomic particles
How does fission of U-235 produce a self-sustaining reaction?
Each reaction produces krypton, barium, and three neutrons, the three neutrons can reinitiate nuclear fission in other U-235 nuclei if they are present in a chain reaction
What is the relationship between matter and energy in nuclear reactions?
Some matter is converted into energy, which can be founded by massing the product and the reactants and comparing their masses; it is represented by the equation E = mc^2 (m is mass lost)
What is the mass defect of nuclear reactions?
The mass of the product - the mass of the reactants
What is the nuclear binding energy of nuclear reactions?
The energy corresponding to the mass defect (calculated with E = mc^2)
What is 1 amu equal to in MeV?
931.5 MeV
How is the binding energy per nucleon calculated?
Binding energy / the number of nucleons
What is a nucleon?
The number of subatomic particles in the nucleus of an atom
What is meaning of binding energy per nucleon to stability?
Atoms with a higher binding energy per nucleon are more stable because it requires more energy to alter them and system attempt to remain in stable states
Is nuclear fission and fusion endothermic or exothermic?
Exothermic (emits heat)
What is nuclear fusion?
The process of two or more lighter atoms binding to form a heavier atom
What happens to the binding energies of daughter nuclides of fusion and fission reactions?
The daughter nuclides have a higher binding energy, meaning it is more difficult to create another nuclear reaction, or, in other words, the atoms are more stable, which reflects the tendency of high energy systems to move in a direction that lowers their energy
