Question
Question: Write any four differences between Nuclear fission and Nuclear fusion....
Write any four differences between Nuclear fission and Nuclear fusion.
Solution
There are two types of nuclear reactions namely Nuclear fusion and Nuclear fission. Both these reactions involve disintegration and combination of elemental nucleus respectively. In case of nuclear fission, an atom divides into two or more smaller atoms. Whereas in case of nuclear fusion, two or more atoms join or fuse together to form a large or heavy atom.
Complete solution:
| Nuclear Fission | Nuclear Fusion |
|---|---|
Nuclear fission can be defined as the division of a single atom into multiple atoms of smaller size. | Nuclear fusion can be defined as the joining of two or more smaller atoms to form a large atom. |
| This reaction requires less energy to divide the single atom into many. | This reaction requires massive energy to combine small atoms to form a large atom. |
| Energy released during this reaction is low as compared to nuclear fusion. | Energy released during this reaction is high as compared to nuclear fission. |
| This technology is used to produce energy in nuclear power plants. | This technology is used to perform experiments in power plants. |
| Nuclear fission produces highly radioactive substances. | Nuclear fusion rarely produces radioactive substances. |
| Uranium is one of the primary fuels for this type of reaction. | Hydrogen is one of the primary fuels for this type of reaction. |
Note:
Students usually get confused between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission, thus they should be clear about both the mentioned terms. There are few requirements for these two reactions to occur. Nuclear fusion requires high density and high temperature to take place. Whereas nuclear fission requires critical mass of substance and the neutrons moving with high speed to occur. Nuclear fission never takes place in normal cases and nuclear fusion takes place in Sun and stars.