What Is nuclear fission?

Above - An illustration demonstrating fission at work.

Like nuclear fusion, the process of nuclear fission has been occurring in the universe for billions of years. During nuclear fission, a heavy or large nucleus (such as uranium) naturally splits into lighter nuclei after colliding with a neutron. The collision releases a great amount of energy from the splitting nucleus, as well as neutrons that can go on to collide with another large nucleus, so continuing the process.

The energy that is released from a single fission comes from the fact that the fission products and the neutrons, together, weigh less than the original uranium atom. The difference in weight is converted directly to energy at a rate governed by the equation E=mc², a famous outcome of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity which explored the relationship between mass and energy.

Einstein (1879-1955) discovered that energy (E) equals mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared. With the speed of light being 186,000 miles per second we now understand, thanks to Einstein, how a small amount of mass can be converted to a phenomenal amount of energy.

For more information about Einstein and the theory of relativity, go to:
science.howstuffworks.com/relativity.htm

Next Section >> Nuclear energy and electricity.

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