
One class of nuclear weapon is the hydrogen bomb, which uses a fission reaction to "trigger" a fusion reaction. Fusion reactions also have the potential to be used as a. One class of nuclear weapon is a fission bomb, also known as an atomic bomb or atom bomb. The difference between these two is that nuclear fusion releases more energy than nuclear fission. The energy released by fusion is three to four times greater than the energy released by fission. The energy released by fission is a million times greater than that released in chemical reactions but lower than the energy released by nuclear fusion. Takes little energy to split two atoms in a fission reaction.Įxtremely high energy is required to bring two or more protons close enough that nuclear forces overcome their electrostatic repulsion. Essential Question: What is the difference between nuclear fusion and cold fusion Nuclear fusion can produce energy when the nuclei of lighter elements. High density, high temperature environment is required. The main difference between these two processes is that fission is the splitting of an atom into two or more smaller ones while fusion is the fusing of two or more smaller atoms into a larger one.įission is the splitting of a large atom into two or more smaller ones.įusion is the fusing of two or more lighter atoms into a larger one.įission reaction does not normally occur in nature.įission produces many highly radioactive particles.įew radioactive particles are produced by fusion reaction, but if a fission "trigger" is used, radioactive particles will result from that.Ĭritical mass of the substance and high-speed neutrons are required. Nuclear fusion and nuclear fission are two different types of energy-releasing reactions in which energy is released from high-powered atomic bonds between the particles within the nucleus.
