Fission is the process by which an atom splits into two, generating two smaller atoms and a tremendous amount of energy. Fission powers nuclear bombs and power plants.

The easiest reaction to initiate in the laboratory is the fusion of isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium. Per unit mass, the reaction produces 4 times more energy than the fission of U235.

A single random neutron was enough to start the chain reaction process once the physicists assembled CP-1. The first neutron would induce fission on a uranium nucleus, emitting a set of new neutrons.

Physicists have solved a long-standing puzzle about mercury’s nuclear fission by using a five-dimensional model that ...

In the process of nuclear fission, an unstable nucleus splits into two smaller atoms in a reaction that releases energy. A nuclear chain reaction occurs when one reaction causes additional reactions.

There are also concepts for future hybrid reactors that have the added benefit of consuming high-energy neutrons from fusion reactions to sustain fission reactions — neutrons that would ...

By figuring out fission, physicists were able to split uranium atoms and release massive amounts of energy. This Manhattan Project work paved the way both for atomic bombs and nuclear power reactors.

Can fusion cause a nuclear accident? No, because fusion energy production is not based on a chain reaction, as is fission. Plasma must be kept at very high temperatures with the support of external ...

It was done in conjunction with the school's video club (double-education WIN!) and used around 300 mousetraps and 600 ping pong balls in the culminating experiment to show the reaction.