Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
982,637,888 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

nuclear fission

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.

nuclear fission

Enlarge picture
Top: Uranium-235 combines with a neutron to form an unstable intermediate, which quickly splits …
(credit: © Merriam-Webster Inc.)
Division of a heavy atomic nucleus into two fragments of roughly equal mass, accompanied by the release of a large amount of energy, the binding energy of the subatomic particles. The energy released in the fission of one uranium nucleus is about 50 million times greater than that released when a carbon atom combines with oxygen atoms in the burning of coal. The energy appears as kinetic energy of the fragments, which converts to thermal energy as the fragments collide in matter and slow down. Fission also releases two or three free neutrons. The free neutrons can bombard other nuclei, leading to a series of fissions called a chain reaction. The energy released from nuclear fission is used to generate electricity, to propel ships and submarines, and is a source of the vast destructive power of nuclear weapons.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
 Email
Feedback
? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
The first is that the weapon was some novel small experimental nuclear fission device or other experimental weapon (e.
The mystery of Israel's secret uranium bomb by Fisk, Robert / Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
The future is not limited to the fossil fuels and nuclear fission of the past century.
Energy's future: the world need never run out of energy. In fact, ... by Behreandt, Dennis / The New American
There scientists discovered something startling: mineral evidence of a naturally occurring nuclear fission reactor that had spontaneously sprung to life almost 2 billion years ago and operated for hundreds of thousands of years.
Primordial nukes: the 2-billion-year-old tale of Earth's natural ... by Weiss, Peter Ulrich / Science News
More results
 
Encyclopedia browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.