ICSE Class 10 Answered

Explain nuclear fission with the help of an example.

Asked by Topperlearning User | 18 Sep, 2017, 03:30: PM

Expert Answer

The process in which a heavy nucleus is splits into two light nuclei nearly of the same size by bombarding it with slow neutrons is known as nuclear fission. In each fission reaction, a tremendous amount of energy of approximately 190 MeV is released.

Example: When uranium with Z = 92 is bombarded with neutron, it splits into two fragments namely barium (Z = 56) and krypton (Z = 36) and a large amount of energy is released which appears due to decrease in the mass.