Whether the reaction is exothermic or not, it is dependent on the binding energy of resulting nuclei. The word fission means "a splitting or breaking up into parts" (Merriam-Webster Online, www.m-w.com). It may seem counterintuitive that energy is released both when atoms split and when they merge. They yield millions of times more energy than other sources through nuclear reactions. It is clear that both fission and fusion are nuclear reactions that produce energy, but they are opposite of each other. "Nuclear fusion power could be a reality in 10 to 15 years." In this lesson students will watch a video and read in order to be able to explain the difference between fission and fusion. Credit: Duke Energy.

The energy harnessed in nuclei is released in nuclear reactions. Fission vs fusion reaction. Fission and fusion are two words that sound very much alike, but they're actually very different! You can check out the difference between the two in this infographic below. Nuclear fusion and nuclear fission are chemical reactions that take place in the nucleus of an atom. A nuclear weapon (also called an atom bomb, nuke, atomic bomb, nuclear warhead, A-bomb, or nuclear bomb) is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or from a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb).Both bomb types release large quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. Fission and fusion are two physical processes that produce massive amounts of energy from atoms. Unlike nuclear fission, the nuclear fusion reaction in a tokamak is an inherently safe reaction. Fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into lighter nuclei and fusion is the combining of nuclei to form a bigger and heavier nucleus.

Being a nuclear reaction that turns one element into another without destroying the atoms (nuclear fission destroys the atoms to generate energy, while nuclear fusion turns one element into a heavier one with the release of clean energy in the process), nuclear fusion can be easily controlled and stopped when necessary. The United States first built a nuclear fission reactor in 1942, and used the first fission bombs in 1945. Reaction 5. ; Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei collide at a very high energy and fuse together into a new nucleus; This is the main difference. Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter ones. Fission was discovered in 1938 by the German scientists Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann, who bombarded a sample of uranium with neutrons in an … In this lesson, find out what each one is and how they work to create nuclear energy. In a nuclear reactor, a neutron is absorbed into a nucleus (typically uranium-235). The thorium wildcard With the goal of clean energy in mind, the focus isn't only on nuclear fusion.
Download this infographic on fission and fusion or the individual fact cutouts below. Main Difference – Nuclear Fission vs Fusion.