BRAINCAKENuclear Fission
Fission of the uranium-235 (or plutonium-238) nuclei can be induced by bombarding the nucleus with neutrons. Neutrons are released with the daughter nuclei and these neutrons are capable of causing further fissions if they collide with other uranium-235 nuclei. This results in a chain reaction and a huge amount of energy is released in a short time.
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Key terms in this lesson
- binding energy
- The energy needed to separate a nucleus completely into its individual, unbound protons and neutrons.
More in Nuclear Energy
- Mass-Energy Equivalence
- Strong Nuclear Force
- Binding Energy and Nuclear Stability
- Quantum Tunnelling
- Nuclear Fusion
- Nuclear Reactors
- Safety
All 8 lessons in Nuclear Energy · All OCR A-level Physics topics