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Critical mass is the of material required to produce a chain reaction?
minimum amount
What are the similarities between nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs?
Both have critical mass, and create energy from a fission chain reaction. In nuclear bombs, the chain reaction is uncontained and spreads to all the fissionable material nearly instantaneously.
What is caused when critical mass is reached?
a chain reaction
What is the amount of fissionable material required to continue a reaction at a constant rate?
At less than critical mass, there are fewer "targets" for neutrons to strike, fission, and release more neutrons. As a result, the reaction dies out.
What particle is needed to begin a nuclear chain reaction?
Neutrons are the important particles of nuclear chain reactions and the reactions depend on them. The neutrons do not really start the fission, reaction, however, because the neutrons come from fission in the fuel.The material in the fuel, typically a mix of 235U and 238U, undergoes fission spontaneously. When a fission event happens, more neutrons, typically two or three, are emitted. These bounce about from atom to atom, until they cause another atom to undergo fission, releasing more neutrons to increase the rate at which atoms undergo fission.But the neutrons needed for the chain reaction are actually produced by the fuel spontaneously, and these are produce in an ongoing manner with or without critical mass. So it is not a particle that starts the chain reaction; it is the act of putting together a critical mass.
Is an example of nuclear fission?
An example of nuclear fission might be a nuclear weapon. In this device, sub-critical masses of fissionable material are driven together by conventional explosives. This "assembles" a critical mass, and a chain reaction will follow. That is a nuclear fission chain reaction. In another example, a nuclear reactor has its control rods pulled and achieves criticality. It is brought to operating temperature and generates heat to make steam and drive turbines. The reactor operates on the principle of nuclear fission.
What is the term that is used to describe a key factor required to start a fission reaction?
critical mass
What is required for a chain reaction to start?
Critical Mass is that minimum amount of fissionable material needed to maintain a chain reaction
What is meant by supercritical and how does it relate to making a nuclear bomb?
A subcritical mass cannot sustain a nuclear chain reaction, it dies exponentiallyA critical mass can sustain a nuclear chain reaction, but it remains constant neither increasing nor decreasingA supercritical mass not only sustains a nuclear chain reaction but it increases exponentially until the mass explodesA nuclear fission bomb must become supercritical at some time in order to explode.
Minimum mass of material requied for the nuclear chain reaction to occur in a nuclear bomb is called?
The critical mass
An ongoing series of fission reactions is called a (n) .?
Fission and fusion reactions are chain reactions but in different ways. In fission reaction a heavy nuclei is bombarded with a slow moving neutron and this nuclei breaks to produce more such neurons along with generation of new elements. These slow moving neutrons are further used to carry out fission of more such nuclei. This is chain reaction. Fusion reaction are a different class of nuclear reaction in which small nuclei fuse together to produce bigger nuclei along with the generation of energy due to mass defect.. In fusion reaction lot of energy is produced and this energy is used to carry out further reaction. Thus both can be called series reaction.
How do you make an atomic weapon?
You bring a critical mass of uranium-235 or plutonium-239 together long enough in a super prompt geometry to fully fission and maximally convert to energy in an uncontrolled fission chain reaction. Beyond that, most of the nitty-gritty details are classified.
