How does nuclear fusion different to nuclear fission?

Answer 1

Fastern your seatbelt. We've got some ground to cover. But it won't be too difficult to grasp the fundamentals. In either fission or fussion, we are taking about nuclear processes, i.e., the physics of nuclear structure and construction/destruction of that nucleus. The big difference is fusion is the "building" of atomic nuclei, and fission is the "breaking" or "splitting" of atomic nuclei. Fusion is the bonding of atomic nuclei or nuclear particles (nucleons - protons and neutrons) to make "bigger" or "heavier" atomic nuclei. Fission, on the other hand is the splitting of the atom. As the atoms fuse or split they release energy. Lots of it. And most of it is heat energy. In nuclear weapons, the energy is released "all at once" to create a blast. If the energy is released in a "controlled" way, we can release heat at a "useable" rate and apply it to boiling water to make steam. In fusion, protons or neutrons or the nuclei of atoms are forced together and are fused to make a new atomic nucleus. The release of lots and lots of energy accompanies this reaction. That's what powers stars. Currently we can't really do any fusion reactions to make useful power. There are a few agencies working on fusion devices, but the high temperatures required to attain fusion require very special materials and controls. The current "state of the art" fusion facility is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (and a link is provided). Fusion is unlikely to become a useful source of power for many years. But what about fission? Nuclear fission involves the splitting of large atoms, usually uranium (or sometimes plutonium). When large atoms fission they produce two smaller atoms or fission fragments (and a couple of neutrons and lots of energy). The total mass of the products is less than the mass of the original atom. This mass difference is turned into energy in accordance with the Einstein equation E=mc2. Most of the energy appears in the recoil of the fission fragments, and the heat that is generated is considerable. It is that heat that we capture to turn water into steam to generate electricity. Nuclear Fission: Basics When a nucleus fissions, it splits into several smaller fragments. These fragments, or fission products, are about equal to half the original mass. Two or three neutrons are also emitted. Nuclear Fission The sum of the masses of these fragments is less than the original mass. This 'missing' mass (about 0.1 percent of the original mass) has been converted into energy according to Einstein's equation. Fission can occur when a nucleus of a heavy atom captures a neutron, or it can happen spontaneously. = Nuclear Fusion = Nuclear Fusion Nuclear energy can also be released by fusion of two light elements (elements with low atomic numbers). The power that fuels the sun and the stars is nuclear fusion. In a hydrogen bomb, two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium are fused to form a nucleus of helium and a neutron. This fusion releases 17.6 MeV of energy. Unlike nuclear fission, there is no limit on the amount of the fusion that can occur.

Nuclear fusion is taking two different atoms and combining them in to one atom, while nuclear fission takes one atom and seperates it into two atoms. Fission and fusion Fission is splitting the atom, and fusion is combining two or more atoms into one atom.

Answer 2

Nuclear fusion is the process in which multiple atomic nuclei merge together to create a single heavier nucleus, whereas nuclear fission is the exact opposite. It is the process of atomic nuclei spitting into smaller and lighter atoms.
Nuclear fusion is the process of squeezing two lighter atoms together to make heavier atoms; nuclear fission is the process of splitting heavier atoms into lighter ones. In both processes, some of the mass of the original atoms are converted into energy; fusion tends to convert more mass into energy than fission does, so fusion tends to create more energy. Heavier atoms needed for a fission chain reaction tend to be unstable and radioactive, and thus the fission process tends to produce more radioactivity.

Answer 3

nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two or three smaller nuclei while nuclear fusion is the combination of two light nuclei into one nucleus. In both cases energy is produced.

Answer 4

Nuclear fusion:

Two or more atomic nuclei join together to form a single nucleus.

Energy is released.

Nuclear fission:

One atomic nucleus splits into two or more separate nuclei, plus other fragments.

Energy is released.

Answer 5

nuclear fission is the splitting of larger elements into smaller ones, for instance fission reactors split uranium-235, into krypton and Barium. fusion combines smaller atoms into larger ones, such as two hydrogen (specifically deuterium) atoms into a helium hackle's.

Answer 6

Form heavier isotopes from lighter isotopes

Answer 7

Fission is the splitting of one atom. Fusion is the joining of two atoms.