Week 4 - The Fission Process

We have reached our destination. This week we look at the meat and potatoes of this course, the fission process. We'll see what happens to atoms when they absorb neutrons and become unstable, but before we can watch an atom absorb a neutron, those neutrons need to be at a certain energy level. The first part of our discussion during this week will center on collision between neutrons and neutrons, between neutrons and protons and between neutrons and atoms. In the core, neutrons are born at very high energy levels. While some of these "fast" neutrons will go on to cause fission, U-235 is a fuel that relies on slow or "thermal" neutrons. In other words, we need to slow these neutrons down. Atomic and sub-atomic collisions make this happen. We've seen what happens after a neutron is absorbed into a U-235 atom, but believe it or not, there is a very inter esting curve which determines the probability of various fission fragments appearing. This week, start with the video once again. Then look at the two web pages by Hyper Physics. I would encourage anyone wanting to learn more about Physics to frequent this site. They provide a lot of good information explained very well. Next, we have another discussion question. This one concerns the world's energy policy. Choose a country and discuss why it divides up its energy resources the way it does and if it is based on sound reasoning. Lastly, we have another exam to take. It's also ten questions long with some short answer and some calculations. Please show all work. Download a copy of the exam question sheet. You may either print the exam and fill it out by hand or fill it out electronically. When your exam is complete, Click on the Exam Answer Submission icon. Attach the completed copy of your exam as an attachment to be graded.