Fission

=Nuclear Fission: Atoms With A Mission=

A uranium atom undergoing nuclear fission.

What is Fission?
When an atom is hit, or //bombarded//, with a single neutron, the result is two new, smaller atoms. The smaller atoms will therefore equal both the isotope and the atomic mass of the original atom. Then a neutron from each of the new, smaller atoms will detach(radioactivity) and hit another nearby atom, that will break apart, and neutrons from those atoms will detach, //ad infinitum//. The process only ends when all the atoms have bombarded all of the other atoms. The process, once started, creates an uncontrollable chain reaction.

Isotopes
Fission can take place with any isotope, as long as the isotope is not alone. The most common isotope used is Uranium, as its high radioactivity makes the process easy to start.

Decay
The atoms, when bombarded with the neutron, is decaying at the typical rate. The extraordinary thing about the process of fission is the chain reaction which it starts.

Example Equation For Decay
In this image, a uranium atom is hit by a neutron which creates barium-142, krypton-91, and three neutrons, which each hit another uranium atom, creating more barium-142, krypton-91, and three neutrons. The process, as well as the equation, will continue into infinity.



Use of Nuclear Fission in Society
Nuclear fission, due to its chain reaction nature, is used to create weapons, mainly bombs. The infamous bombs that were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki are two such examples. The bomb uses nuclear fission to literally explode every atom in the vicinity. The image below shows how fission was used in the bombs that were dropped upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The devastation caused by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki, however, was not a triumph for nuclear fission. That event showed the deadly consequences of allowing fission to get out of hand.



Bibliography:
 * 1) http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/basics/what-is-fission.htm
 * 2) http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1669,subcat-MATH.html