What is nuclear fission?
Nuclear fission is the process on which the operation of most nuclear power plants is based. When certain nuclei (for example that of uranium-235) are bombarded with neutrons, the nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei of roughly (though not exactly) equal sizes. Because of the binding characteristics of the neutrons and protons in the original and resultant nuclei (and also the famous mass-energy relation that Einstein discovered), the result of this split is the liberation of a large amount of energy, manifested in the kinetic energy of the resultant nuclei. That is, when a uranium-235 nucleus undergoes a fission, the fission products fly apart from the original position at great speed. Extra neutrons are also produced during this fission process, and these in turn can interact with further fissionable nuclei to induce further nuclear fission reactions. In turn, these fission reactions produce yet more neutrons, and these can then induce further fission reactions. This process of ind
