nuclear fission

[ noo-klee-er fish-uhn ]

noun

1. fission ( def 2 ).

nuclear fission

noun

1. the splitting of an atomic nucleus into approximately equal parts, either spontaneously or as a result of the impact of a particle usually with an associated release of energy Sometimes shortened tofission Compare nuclear fusion

fission, nuclear

1. A nuclear reaction in which a single large nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei. In some cases, for example with uranium , energy is released in this process.

Pronunciation Note

See nuclear ( def ).

Notes

The fission of uranium 235, an isotope of uranium, supplies energy for nuclear reactors and atomic bombs (see also atomic bomb ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuclear fission¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Left untouched, nuclear fission erupts into a runaway chain reaction that can heat the core of a nuclear plant to thousands of degrees, liquifying the metal around it into radioactive lava.

From Los Angeles Times

Because the process of nuclear fission does not burn or oxidize anything, nearly all the fuel used in producing energy at nuclear plants becomes waste without reducing its mass.

From Salon

It works by taking pairs of light atoms and forcing them together - the opposite of nuclear fission, where heavy atoms are split apart.

From BBC

Small modular reactors are nuclear fission reactors that are smaller than conventional ones and thought to be less expensive to build than traditional plants, which the prime minister called the "nuclear technologies of the future".

From BBC

And then there is Lise Meitner, the co-discoverer, with Otto Hahn, of nuclear fission.

From Scientific American