difference between nuclear fusion and fission

Atoms are grouped into two forms, the light atoms and the heavy atoms. Fusion is basically the process of pushing the smaller atoms together. It is the process of fission that powers some of our nuclear weapons.įusion, although being an atomic reaction, couldn’t be greater in difference to fission. When your atoms collide together they create a whole ball of energy that can be used for many things. In layman’s terms the act of fission is to smash atoms. Each atom that is split will release a collection of particles called neutrons these particles interact with the other atoms, blasting them apart. In a fission reaction each atom is split into two and a large amount of energy is generated. The action of fission involves separating an atoms components. The foundation word generally means to split something. Lets first look at fission the term fission deviates from the source word fissure.

Both reactions can cause an immense release of energy but a chemical reaction is often slower to take place than a nuclear reaction. In a chemical reaction, it is the molecules that are rearranged, and the atoms that remain in an unchanged state. The first is a nuclear reaction this is a process that changes the arrangement of the protons and neutrons found in the atoms nucleus. There are two different reactions that we need to think of when looking at the differences between fission and fusion. Both fission and fusion are complicated forms of nuclear reaction. They are completely different processes involving different atomic reactions of matter. There is a distinct variation that transpires when using Fission or Fusion.

Difference between nuclear fusion and fission