Lesson 16

Old Gold

Formation of Elements

Nuclear reactions change the identity of an element

Nuclear Fusion

• joins nuclei together changing the identity of the element
• smaller, lighter elements to a bigger, heavier element
• happens in stars

Nuclear Fission

• spontaneous reaction in unstable nuclei
• releases enormous amounts of energy
• nuclear chain reaction as a result

Sample Problems

2) what is a nuclear chain reaction? A nuclear chain reaction is when a neutron emitted by nuclear fission hits surrounding nuclei causing them to split too.

3) Write the nuclear equation for the beta decay of cerium-141.

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