Lesson: Nuclear Fission Physics

Students will be able to

• understand that some nuclei can decay by splitting into two large fragments,
• understand that nuclear fission can happen spontaneously, which is a process called spontaneous nuclear fission,
• understand that nuclear fission can be induced by a neutron striking the nucleus, which is a process called induced nuclear fission,
• understand that when nuclei of fissile elements split, they release several neutrons and these neutrons may go on to split other nuclei by induced fission, creating a chain reaction,
• recall that uranium and plutonium are elements with fissile isotopes,
• solve nuclear equations involving nuclear fission,
• understand the basic construction of a nuclear fission reactor,
• recall what a moderator is,
• recall that water can be used as a moderator in nuclear reactors,
• recall what the control rods do in a nuclear reactor,
• recall that boron is often used for control rods in a nuclear reactor,
• recall what the coolant does in a nuclear reactor,
• recall that water can be used as the coolant (as well as the moderator).