A physicist
explain how a fusion reactor would be similar to a fission reaction
fission
Fusion would be much safer because it does not produce the very dangerous fission products that fission power does. However for the present time there is no way of using fusion power, it is just a possibility for the distant future.
1. Unlike fission, during fusion tremendous amount of energy is liberated. Hence fusion of a very small mass generates large amount of energy. 2. Unlike fission the products of fusion reactions are not radio-active. Thus they are harmless and can be replaced easily. 3. Highly penetrating radiations are liberated during fission, which are highly hazardous.
1. Unlike fission, during fusion tremendous amount of energy is liberated. Hence fusion of a very small mass generates large amount of energy. 2. Unlike fission the products of fusion reactions are not radio-active. Thus they are harmless and can be replaced easily. 3. Highly penetrating radiations are liberated during fission, which are highly hazardous.
both
Both basically are the same, they can be fission or fusion bombs like Uranium,Plutonium and Hydrogen bombs. A general description would be that atomic bombs are fission bombs. Nuclear bombs are fusion bombs. Fusion bombs are more powerful weight for weight
I am not sure if there is an opposite of fission, where an atom is split in half, but if there was an opposite it would probably be nuclear fusion, where two nuclei join together giving off energy. Nuclear fusion occurs in space, and it is how the sun gives off its energy.
We don't know much about fusion as it is still very experimental. It will not produce the dangerous fission products that fission does, but it may have other dangers unknown as yet. Nuclear fusion has more destructive potential than fission. Fusion is the principle powering the H-bomb developed in the Cold War. Just to put the power of a Fusion bomb in perspective, it is detonated by a fission bomb half the size of the one dropped on Japan. THAT'S JUST THE DETONATOR.
hyponism :)
A microbiologist.
With nuclear fission, a large atomic nucleus (such as a uranium nucleus) breaks apart into smaller nuclei, and energy is released. With nuclear fusion, small atomic nuclei (such as hydrogen) join to become larger nuclei, and energy is released. Fusion of hydrogen releases much more energy than any other type of either fusion or fission. Note that the dividing line between heavy nuclei and light nuclei is the iron nucleus, which is at the perfect point of nuclear stability, so that neither fusion nor fission of iron nuclei would release any energy.