Is nuclear energy the same as nuclear fission?

Answer 1

One of the sources of nuclear energy is nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is the splitting of heavy nuclei (as U-235) when bombarded by neutrons. The nuclear fission results in loss of mass (or mass defect) that transforms into energy according to formula E = mc2 (c is light velocity). The resulting energy manifests itself as heat energy that produces steam. The steam spins the turbines that spins electric generators and hence producing electricity.

Answer 2

The two terms are sometimes interchanged. They are similar enough that they can be swapped around in most applications. Strictly speaking, power is the rate of energy use. So nuclear energy of a fixed amount is released for every fission that takes place, but power depends on how many fissions occur per second.

Answer 3

They are used interchangeably in the media, but they are not really the same. The question could be put 'is energy the same as power', and the answer is no. Energy is the capability of doing work, it has the same units as work, and when work is done energy is expended. The units of energy are Joules, and can also be expressed in calories, BTU, and ft.lbforce. These all relate to each other by conversion factors.

Power however is the rate of doing work or releasing energy, and the units are Joules per second, 1 Joule/sec = 1 Watt. In the traditional units power is in horsepower, 1 hp = 745.7 watts.

So whilst we can talk about getting energy from nuclear fission, what is sent out from the power plant is power.

Answer 4

Nuclear energy is a quantity of energy measured in Joules, so it has the same units as mechanical or electrical energy. Nuclear power is the rate of production of nuclear energy, so it is Joules per second, or Watts, as other forms of power are.

Remember: power = energy flow per second. This applies to all forms of energy.

Answer 5

Uranium can be used as a fuel and so can nuclear energy (power) so technically it would be classified as the same thing.

Answer 6

The same difference as between energy and power. Power = energy / time.