Nuclear Reactions Review

Why is nuclear fusion considered safer than nuclear fission?

• Fusion takes energy to be sustained so you can stop the reaction by taking away energy.

• Fusion is a chain reaction that must be controlled or it will go out of control.

• Fission takes energy to be sustained so you can stop the reaction by taking away energy.

• They are equally unsafe.

Nuclear fission occurs when an atom, such as uranium, releases energy when it splits when subjected to which subatomic particle?

• Proton

• Neutron

• Electron

• Positron

Our Sun, an average star in the galaxy, uses the process of fusion to produce its energy. Every second, the Sun converts 600 million tons of matter into--

• gravitational forces

• carbon dioxide and water

• electromagnetic energy

• radioactive materials

Each second within the Sun, 600 million tons of matter are converted into--

• electromagnetic energy

• lithium and carbon atoms

• gravitational force

• universal dark matter

Which of the following best describes how nuclear reactions are used to generate electricity?

• Nuclei produced in reactions generate electromagnetic waves.

• Heat from fission is used to produce steam, which drives a turbine.

• Splitting nuclei give up their electrons, when they flow through wires.

• Light from fission is captured by photocells, which produce electricity.

Scientists have continuously been searching for ways to create a system for energy production through fusion reactions but have been unsuccessful. Which of the following explains why it is still not a practical source of power?

• Fusion can create a huge amount of energy with very little fuel.

• Fusion radioactive byproducts have a shorter half-life than fission byproducts.

• Fusion requires a large amount of energy to force atoms to initially fuse together.

• Fusion reactions have virtually little to no risk of nuclear accidents.

Carbon dating is a process where scientists evaluate the percentage of Carbon-14 atoms that have decayed into Carbon-12. The process of changing Carbon-14 into Carbon-12 involves the atoms losing two neutrons.

What type of reaction occurs when Carbon-14 changes to Carbon-12?

• Decomposition

• Single replacement

• Fusion

• Fission

What types of reactions will produce radiation?

• Fission

• Fusion

• Both fission and fusion

• Neither fission nor fusion

What is a fusion reaction?

• The process of splitting the nucleus of an atom.

• The process of combining nuclei to form a larger nucleus.

• The process of changing the physical arrangement of particles.

• The process of combining atoms together into a molecule.

Researchers have attempted to combine the nuclei of multiple atoms to generate large amounts of energy. To date, researchers have not been able to perform the process without using more energy than is generated by the reaction.

Which type of reaction are the researchers seeking to achieve?

• Synthesis

• Fusion

• Decomposition

• Fission