As for Nuclear fission its the splitting of a nuclei for example...
When a uranium-235 or plutonium-239 nucleus is hit by a neutron, the following happens:
- the nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei, which are radioactive
- two or three more neutrons are released
- some energy is released
The two or three neutrons that are release can go on and hit uranium-235 or plutonium-239 nucleus and a chain reaction is formed,
(Uranium or plutonium isotopes are normally used as the fuel in nuclear reactors, because their atoms have relatively large nuclei that are easy to split, especially when hit by neutrons.
The following diagram on the following page expains it a bit more:
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