Nuclear Fission and Fusion Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is the nucleus of an atom made up of?
The nucleus of an atom contains neutrons and protons.
What is outside of the nucleus?
Around the nucleus are electrons.
What is the relative charge of a proton?
+1
What is the relative charge of a neutron?
0
What is the relative charge of an electron?
-1
What happens if you add electrons to an atom?
Adding electrons makes an atom a negative ion.
What happens if you remove electrons from an atom?
Removing electrons makes an atom a positive ion.
What is an isotope?
An isotopes of an element are nuclei that have the same number of protons and electrons but a different number of neutrons.
What are the 3 different types of radioactive atoms?
- alpha particles
- beta particles
- gamma rays
What is an alpha particle?
An alpha particle is two protons and two neutrons.
What is a beta particle?
A beta particle is a fast moving electron.
What is a gamma ray?
A gamma ray is a high energy electromagnetic radiation.
Which of the radioactive atoms is the most ionising?
The alpha particle.
Which of the radioactive atoms is the least ionising?
The gamma ray.
What happens during alpha decay?
In alpha decay, two protons and two neutrons are removed from the nucleus. The proton number decreases by two and the nucleon number decreases by four.
What is fission another word for?
Fission is another word for splitting.
What is nuclear fission?
Nuclear fission is the process of splitting a nucleus.
What happens during nuclear fission?
- the nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei - daughter nuclei, which are radioactive
- two or three more neutrons are released
- some energy is released
What is a chain reaction?
In a large sample of uranium, the fast-moving neutrons from the fission reactions can go on to split other uranium-235 nuclei. This is a chain reaction.
What happens during fission reactions in nuclear power stations?
- most nuclear power stations use uranium or plutonium as fuel for the reactions
- a large amount of energy, in the form of the kinetic energy of the neutrons and the daughter nuclei is released in fission reactions
- the kinetic energy is turned into heat and used to boil water to make steam
- the steam powers turbines
Why is the chain reaction of the uranium nuclei in nuclear power stations controlled?
It is controlled to maintain a steady output of power.
What is a fuel rod?
Fuel rods contain pellets of nuclear fuel in the form of uranium dioxide.
What is a coolant?
A coolant removes the thermal energy produced in the fission reactions in the reactor core, so it can be used to heat water to create seam to power generator turbines.
What is a moderator?
The moderator surrounds the nuclear fuel rods and slows down the fast-moving neutrons. Slow-moving neutrons have a greater chance of reacting with uranium nuclei than fast-moving neutrons.
