Question

Activity C (continued from previous page)

5. Draw connections: The uranium fission reactions are triggered by a neutron, and each
reaction produces two or three more neutrons. What do you think will happen next?
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TA

Answer 1

The neutrons released in the 1st fission reaction will trigger more fission reactions to occur., thus creating a chain reaction.

Answer 2

The fission reaction is a chain reaction. When the fissile nucleus is bombarded with a neutron, more neutrons are produced and the reaction continues indefinitely.

One of the types of artificial radioactive decay is nuclear fission. Nuclear fission occurs when a fissile nucleus is bombarded with a nucleus. When this occurs, the nucleus is broken up into smaller fragments called daughter nuclei and energy is produced.

Also, more neutrons are produced that can continue to bombard more of the fissile material in order to continue the reaction. As a result of this, nuclear fission is often referred to as a chain reaction because it is self sustaining.

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