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The fission process is sustained by neutrons. A neutron entering a nucleus and causing fission must be replaced in order to cause the next fission, and so on. So the fissionable substance must emit more neutrons when fission occurs, and enough of them so that despite some being absorbed by the moderator and some leaking from the reactor boundary, there is still enough to maintain the chain reaction. Uranium 235 emits on average about 2.5 neutrons per fission (you might say what is half a neutron, but this is explained by the fact that fissions have a range of possible results, with different numbers of neutrons emitted, and the average is 2.5).

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Q: Describe a characteristic of a fissionable substance that is essential for a chain-reaction to sustain itself?
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Describe a characteristic of a fissionable substance that is essential for a chain reaction to sustain itself?

Firstly it must be able to capture neutrons which then have a high probability of causing its nuclei to undergo fission or splitting, and the fissions must produce enough further neutrons so that for every fission that occurs, another one will follow.


A n blank property is a characteristic of a pure substance?

A physical property is a characteristic of a pure substance. Water is an example of a pure substance.


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A physical property is a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance.


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What is characteristic property of a substance?

The characteristic properties of a substance are always the same whether the sample one is observing is large or small.


What is meant by a characteristic of a substance?

The Characteristic of a substance is the stuff you find after you masturbate, (if you get heaps it is a good option to go to the Doctor, you might have cancer.),


What is meant by a characteristic property of a substance?

Since characteristic properties for a given substance never change, they can be used to identify unknown matter.


Is freezing a characteristic property?

Yes! Freezing (when a substance becomes solid) and melting points (when a substance becomes liquid) are characteristic properties.


Why is density a characteristic of a substance and volume and mass are not?

The volume and mass of a substance are independent of the substance itself, but depend upon how much there is of the substance The density of a substance is the relation between how much volume you have of a substance and how much mass that volume has (and vice-versa). It is independent of how much there is of the substance and is thus a characteristic of the substance.


When substance dissolved in another it is called?

This substance is the solute and this characteristic is called solubility.


What can you do if you have the characteristic properties of a substance?

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Is a characteristic a boiling point?

A characteristic for the boiling point is that the substance start changing state.