20.1 Nuclear Fission

Question 0

What is nuclear fission?

Answer 0

The nucleus of an atom of a fissionable substance splits into two smaller fragment nuclei due to absorbing a neutron.

Question 1

How is energy released in a nuclear reactor?

Answer 1

As a result of nuclear fission

Question 2

What is released during fission?

Answer 2

Two or three fission neutrons

Energy in the form of radiation

Kinetic energy

Question 3

What do the neutrons released in fission do?

Answer 3

Cause other fissionable nuclei to split, causing a chain reaction of events

Question 4

What is the case in a nuclear fission reactor due to neutrons?

Answer 4

On average one fission neutron from each event goes on to produce further fission. This causes energy to be released at. Steady rate

Question 5

Fissionable isotopes are what?

Answer 5

Uranium-235 and plutonium-239

Question 6

What is inside a nuclear reactor?

Answer 6

Uranium fuel rods spaced evenly in the core. SEE FIGURE 4 p223 TEXTBOOK