Meaning & use
nuclear fission
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Meaning
noununcountablephysics
A process in which the nucleus of a heavy atom splits into smaller parts, releasing a large amount of energy.
Grammar: No plural and no article is needed: nuclear fission produces heat.
Patterns
- fission of something
- fission in something
Nuclear fission in the reactor core heats the water.
Scientists first split uranium atoms by nuclear fission in the 1930s.
A chain reaction of nuclear fission powers the plant.
Common combinations
- induce nuclear fission
- A slow neutron can induce nuclear fission in uranium.
- energy from nuclear fission
- Most nuclear plants get their energy from nuclear fission.
- nuclear fission reaction
- A nuclear fission reaction releases heat and neutrons.
- controlled nuclear fission
- Reactors rely on controlled nuclear fission.
Synonyms and how they differ
- atom splitting
- Atom splitting is an everyday way to say it, but nuclear fission is the exact scientific term.
- fission
- Fission on its own can also mean division in biology, so nuclear fission is clearer in physics.
Opposites
Word family
- fission noun
- the act of splitting
- fissile adjective
- able to undergo fission
- fissionable adjective
- capable of being split by fission
- nuclear adjective
- relating to the nucleus of an atom
Commonly confused: nuclear fission or nuclear fusion?
nuclear fission vs nuclear fusion
Fusion joins light nuclei into a heavier one, as in the Sun, while fission splits a heavy nucleus.
Practice
What happens during nuclear fission?
Choose one answer.
Fission means splitting a heavy nucleus such as uranium. The first option describes fusion, which is the opposite process.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nuclear fission”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.