Nuclear Reactions Name: _____________________

1. What subatomic particle is able to cause the fission of a nucleus? The “bullet” that splits the atom

2. Why is it that only Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 are able to produce nuclear chain reactions?

Think about the “bullets”

3. What is “enriched uranium”?

4. Why is the awesome power of atomic energy associated with Einstein’s e = mc² equation?

What happens to “m” during a nuclear reaction?

5. What do neutrons have to do with the difference between a sub-critical and a super-critical mass ?

It has to do with the likelihood of a neutron hitting its target or escaping from the system

6. Draw one a sketch of an atomic bomb prior to detonation, and another sketch of an atomic bomb

during detonation. Use arrows and labels to indicate sub-critical and super-critical masses.

8. What is the difference between fission and fusion? Explain how both processes release energy for

the same reason.

9. Look at the Mass per Nucleon curve in your notes. Why does fusing Hydrogen into Helium make

a powerful bomb, but fusing Iron into Tellurium (element 52) would not.

As you move down the curve, there is less mass in the nucleus, therefore mass has been converted

to energy

10. What are the similarities and differences between atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs?

11. Explain the role of control rods and fuel rods in a nuclear reactor.

12. Why is a “spent” fuel rod so much more dangerous than a fresh (unused) one?

13. What happens during a meltdown in a nuclear power plant?

14. How is a breeder reactor different from a normal nuclear power facility?