Nuclear Energy Flashcards

All 4 cards in this deck

Name the three types of nuclear reaction that can be a source of energy.

Nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and radioactive decay.

True or false? Radioactive decay is a source of energy as well as fission and fusion.

True. All three nuclear reactions release energy.

In a nuclear reaction, where does the released energy come from?

A loss of mass — the products have less total mass than the starting nuclei, and the lost mass appears as energy ($E = mc^2$).

True or false? A kilogram of nuclear fuel releases far more energy than a kilogram of coal.

True. Nuclear reactions release much more energy per kilogram than chemical reactions such as burning.