Key Concepts: Nuclear Fusion and Fission

Core Definitions

• Nuclear Fission: The splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter nuclei, releasing large amounts of energy.
• Nuclear Fusion: The combining of two light nuclei into one heavier nucleus, releasing even more energy.
• Chain Reaction: In fission, released neutrons trigger further fission events, sustaining the reaction.
• Mass Defect: The difference between the mass of the nucleus and the sum of its individual protons and neutrons — converted to energy via E = mc².