Fission and Fusion
What is fission and fusion? Many people may know that both are a source of energy, but not too much more than that. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both? How can fission and fusion be used and will both eventually have a use in the future? Throughout this essay you shall find the answers to these questions.
According to our Chemistry textbook fission can be defined as the splitting of a nucleus into smaller fragments. A couple of advantages of fission is that relatively little fuel is needed and the fuel is relatively inexpensive and available in trace amounts around the world. Another advantage is that fission is not believed to contribute to global warming or other pollution effects which can be associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. On the other hand, some disadvantages of fission would include, a possibility of nuclear meltdown from the uncontrolled reaction, which may lead to nuclear fallout with potentially harmful effects on civilians. Also the waste products can be used to manufacture weapons, and one last disadvantage is the high initial cost because a plant would require containment safeguards. Fission is used in today s nuclear reactors and in the atomic bonds. I retrieved most of this information off the internet from a various number of sites.
Fusion can be defined as what occurs when two nuclei combine to produce a nucleus of a heavier mass. A few advantages of fusion may include that the fuels (Deuterium and Tritium) are plentiful and is inherently safe since any malfunction results in a rapid shut down. There is also no atmosphere pollution leading to acid rain or the green house effect, and also the materials and by-products of fusion are not suitable for use in the production of nuclear weapons. Some disadvantages however is that there are problems achieving the high temperatures necessary to start the reactions and in containing the reaction, as well as the tremendous technical difficulties it causes. Additionly, fusion can only be contained in a magnetic field and finally to make fusion a reality large, expensive facilities are necessary. Since fusion has never really been achieved it doesn t actually
The Essay on Nuclear History Energy Fuel Electricity
WHAT IS NUCLEAR ENERGY Nuclear energy is made up of tiny atoms. All matter has atoms. One drop of water has one six trillion atoms. It would take one hundred million atoms to equal the length of one centimeter. An atom is mostly empty space. At the center of an atom, there is a nucleus. The plural of nucleus is nuclei. Around the nucleus is a cloud of moving electrons. All the atom's mass is in ...
have any uses, but it is the energy producing process that takes place continuously in the sun and stars and has been used in the Princeton Test and in the hydrogen bomb.
In closing, fission and fusion have a great number of advantages as well as disadvantages. However, both would be an excellent source of energy, or an economical source of electricity generation that perhaps may be used in the future. For this to happen scientists must first overcome the tremendous difficulties in achieving fission or fusion. If successful, it could provide the world with an abundant, safe, and non-polluting new energy source in the next century.
