Rockets and Nuclear Energy

Question 1

Rockets

Answer 1

Only require conservation of momentum, loss mass out back, ejected fuel has more momentum, goes faster as mass is lost

Question 2

Rocket engines

Answer 2

Can use solid or liquid fuel

Question 3

Solid fuel engines

Answer 3

Burned fuel is ejected out the back, loss of mass, easy to make reliable

Question 4

Liquid fuel engines

Answer 4

More chemical potential energy per KG, thrust varies by use of valves

Question 5

Fission

Answer 5

Spontaneous or neutrin collides with nucleus and breaks it apart

Question 6

Fusion

Answer 6

Combines 2 nuclei

Question 7

Chain reaction

Answer 7

Enough material, neutrins don’t leave material and are absorbed, continues until there is no material left to fission or material blows up

Question 8

Uranium bomb

Answer 8

Fission, missing part of mass is fired into sphere to form mass larger than the critical mass

Question 9

Plutonium bomb

Answer 9

Fission, very radioactive so chain reaction is easy to start, difficult to assemble quick enough to allow complete reaction to occur

Question 10

Fusion bomb

Answer 10

Thermonuclear, hydrogen, plutonium bomb inside goes of first, deuterium and titration, bomb makes hydrogen nuclei move fast allowing fusion

Question 11

Thermal fusion reactor

Answer 11

Needs slow assembly of critical mass, control rods absorb neutrons to slow or stop the reaction