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→Key Stage 5
: During '''nuclear fission''' [[neutron]]s are also [[emit]]ted.
: '''Nuclear fission''' [[Energy Transfer|transfers]] [[energy]] from the [[Nuclear Potential Energy Store|nuclear potential energy store]] into the [[Thermal Energy Store|thermal energy store]] of the [[material]] and the surroundings.
: In a '''nuclear fission reaction''' the products have less [[mass]] than the reactants as some of the [[mass]] is converted into [[energy]] in the process due to the [[Mass-Energy Equivalence]].
: '''Nuclear fission''' can be induced in a [[material]] by bombarding [[massive]] [[Atomic Nucleus|nuclei]] with [[neutron]]s. If a [[neutron]] is captured by the [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] it becomes so unstable that it splits in two.
: The [[neutron]]s used to induce '''fission''' must have a low [[energy]] to be captured by a [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] otherwise the [[neutron]]s will just pass straight through without being captured. [[Neutron]]s with the right amount of [[energy]] to be captured are called [[Thermal Neutron|thermal neutron]]s because they have a similar [[energy]] to [[molecule]]s in the [[air]] at [[Room Temperature|room temperature]].
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: If there is enough of an [[Unstable Isotope|unstable isotope]] in a [[material]] a single'''nuclear fission''' can trigger a[[Nuclear Chain Reaction|nuclear chain reaction]] in which the [[neutron]]s produced from the initial '''fission''' event can cause the '''fission''' of more than one other [[Unstable Isotope|unstable isotope]].
: A [[Nuclear Fission|nuclear fission]] [[Nuclear Chain Reaction|chain reaction]] is used in both [[Nuclear Bomb|nuclear bombs]] and [[Nuclear Fission Reactor|nuclear reactors]] in [[Nuclear Power|nuclear power stations]].
===References===
====AQA====
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1782945970/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1782945970&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=a120d24dcc7cc7a58192069a3aafc1d2 ''Nuclear fission, page 140, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA '']
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/178294558X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=178294558X&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=f0dfb66dafcb0c6e9449e7b1a4ae1ac337 ''Nuclear fission, page 49, GCSE Physics; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA '']
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/019835939X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=019835939X&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=57e96876985fc39b1a3d8a3e3dc238b6 ''Nuclear fission, pages 104-105, GCSE Physics; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA\ '']
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1471851370/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1471851370&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=01c69b0ae058f809cf636033e6ba793e ''Nuclear fission, pages 106-7, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA '']
====Edexcel====
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1292120193/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1292120193&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=572df39392fb4200db8391d98ae6314e ''Nuclear fission, page 166, GCSE Combined Science, Pearson Edexcel '']
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1292120215/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1292120215&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=8f96ddb76196848bafdb124354e4cf77 ''Nuclear fission, page 22, GCSE Chemistry, Pearson, Edexcel '']
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1782945733/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1782945733&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=2a2dbec9db6bf5766c0458d908fa0a52 ''Nuclear fission, page 57, GCSE Physics; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel '']
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1292120223/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1292120223&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=068ecf40278c32406a7f1c6e66751417 ''Nuclear fission, pages 110, 112-113, GCSE Physics, Pearson Edexcel '']
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1292120223/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1292120223&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=068ecf40278c32406a7f1c6e66751417 ''Nuclear fission; power generation, page 113, GCSE Physics, Pearson Edexcel '']
====OCR====
:[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0198359837/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0198359837&linkCode=as2&tag=nrjc-21&linkId=3c4229e8b023b2b60768e7ea2307cc6f ''Nuclear fission, pages 184-185, Gateway GCSE Physics, Oxford, OCR '']
==Key Stage 5==
===Meaning===
'''Fission''' is the splitting of a heavy [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] into two approximately equal fragments, releasing [[energy]].
===About Fission===
*'''Nuclear fission''' can be spontaneous or induced by the absorption of a [[neutron]].
*When [[Uranium-235]] or [[Plutonium-239]] absorbs a [[neutron]], it becomes unstable and splits into two smaller daughter [[Atomic Nucleus|nuclei]] along with additional [[neutron]]s and a large amount of [[energy]].
*The released [[neutron]]s can induce further [[Nuclear Fission|fission]] reactions, leading to a [[Chain Reaction|chain reaction]].
{| class="wikitable"
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|[[File:InducedFission.png|center|600px]]
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| style="height:20px; width:600px; text-align:left;" |A [[model]] showing a possible mechanism for induced '''nuclear fission''' resulting from the capture of a [[Thermal Neutron|thermal neutron]].
<math>{}_{92}^{235}U + {}_{0}^{1}n \rightarrow {}_{92}^{236}U \rightarrow {}_{36}^{85}Kr + {}_{56}^{148}Ba + 3{}_{0}^{1}n</math>
|}
*'''Fission''' releases a significant amount of [[energy]], primarily in the form of [[Kinetic Energy|kinetic energy]] of the [[Nuclear Fission|fission]] fragments.
*'''Fission''' is used in [[Nuclear Reactor|nuclear reactors]] to generate [[electricity]] and in [[Nuclear Bomb|nuclear weapons]].