Section 17.5- Nuclear Fission and Fusion

Question 1

coined the term fission

Answer 1

Lise Meitner

Question 2

the process of splitting an atom into two smaller atoms

Answer 2

nuclear fission

Question 3

the process in which fission will cause at least one additional fission, so that enough neutrons will be released to keep the reaction going

Answer 3

nuclear chain reaction

Question 4

the amount and density of 235U present that makes a chain reaction self-sustaining

Answer 4

critical mass

Question 5

a nuclear plant produces heat using __________________

a device for safely initiating and controlling a fission chain reaction

Answer 5

nuclear reactor

Question 6

the most important part of a nuclear reactor is the

Answer 6

fissionable material used to produce energy

Question 7

a process which increases the content percentage in order to make a critical mass possible to achieve

Answer 7

enrichment

Question 8

key component of the reactor which slow neutrons for easier capture

Answer 8

water or graphite moderator

Question 9

part of the reactor which carries heat out of the core

Answer 9

coolant

Question 10

movable component of the reactor which control the reaction rate by absorbing some of the neutrons

Answer 10

control rods

Question 11

the entire reactor is contained in a heavy steel and concrete dome designed to prevent emission of radioactive material into the environment in the event of a serious accident

Answer 11

containment vessel

Question 12

an important principle to keep in mind is that a nuclear reactor cannot

Answer 12

explode like a bomb

Question 13

*the chief danger that must be guarded against in a nuclear reactor is a

when a pipe rupture, pump failure, or other breakdown deprives the core of coolant, possibly causing the core to overheat

Answer 13

loss of coolant accident

Question 14

worst case scenario in which in which the core overheats so badly that fuel melts right through the bottom of the pressure vessel

Answer 14

a meltdown

Question 15

the worst ever nuclear power plant accident

Answer 15

Chernobyl

Question 16

nuclear reactor cannot explode like a bomb because

Answer 16

reactor has barely critical mass whereas an atomic bomb must have supercritical mass

Question 17

control rods determine rate of reaction in a nuclear reactor; if removed the reaction would

Answer 17

speed up

Question 18

fuel used in nuclear reactor

Answer 18

uranium or plutonium

Question 19

one of the most common objections against nuclear power is the

Answer 19

radioactive waste products that are produced

Question 20

coal produces significantly ______________ waste than nuclear reactors due

Answer 20

LESS

Question 21

nuclear fuel recycling that greatly simplifies the disposal of nuclear waste products

Answer 21

reprocessing

Question 22

a reactor that produces more fissionable fuel than it uses

Answer 22

breeder reactor

Question 23

breeder technology makes nuclear power a

Answer 23

practically UNLIMITED resource

Question 24

special applications of Nuclear power

Answer 24

1. submarines and aircraft carriers
2. space probes
3. nuclear-fueled rockets

Question 25

for light elements such as H or He, the binding energy per nucleon can be increased by combining light nuclei into heavier ones in the melding of atoms (smaller become larger)

Answer 25

nuclear FUSION

Question 26

for a given mass of reactants, more energy can be obtained from ______________ than from _______________ because a greater proportion of mass in converted into energy

Answer 26

FUSION fission

Question 27

atoms must be in the ________________ state in order for fusion to occur

Answer 27

plasma

Question 28

high temperature nuclear reactions are called

Answer 28

thermonuclear reactions

Question 29

a fusion reaction is also called a

Answer 29

thermonuclear reaction

Question 30

the first successful use of thermonuclear reactions was for their

Answer 30

explosive effect

Question 31

the efforts of Edward Teller to keep the US superior to the Soviet Union in nuclear arms lead to the development of the world's first

Answer 31

thermonuclear weapon or HYDROGEN BOMB

Question 32

stronger than the atomic bomb

Answer 32

hydrogen bomb

Question 33

two things needed in order to get fusion reaction started

Answer 33

1. high temperatures 2. high pressures

Question 34

achieve high temp and high pressure by placing

Answer 34

atomic bomb on top of hydrogen bomb

Question 35

used to create high temp and pressure in H bomb

Answer 35

atomic bomb

Question 36

you need a _____________ before you have a _______________ in a hydrogen bomb

Answer 36

fission reaction fusion reaction