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Nuclear Reactions

Nuclear Reactions. Fusion, Fission and Radioactive Decay. 14.4 Fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process of combining the nuclei of lighter atoms to make heavier atoms. 14.4 Nuclear Fission. Nuclear fission is the process of splitting the nucleus of an atom.

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Nuclear Reactions

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  1. Nuclear Reactions Fusion, Fission and Radioactive Decay

  2. 14.4 Fusion • Nuclear fusion is the process of combining the nuclei of lighter atoms to make heavier atoms.

  3. 14.4 Nuclear Fission • Nuclear fission is the process of splitting the nucleus of an atom. • Examples are nuclear bombs or radioactive decay.

  4. 14.4 Radioactive Decay is spontaneous fission • radioactive decay results in an unstable, radioactive isotope like carbon-14 becoming the more stable isotope nitrogen-14.

  5. Radioactive Dating • Process used to figure out the age of objects by measuring the amount of radioactive material remaining. • Understanding radioactive decay of uranium-238 has allowed scientists to determine that the age of Earth is 4.6 billion years old.

  6. Half-Life • A half-life is the amount of time for half of the radioactive element to decay. • As a radioactive element decays, it emits harmful radiation such as alpha and beta particles and gamma rays.

  7. Understanding Decay Curves • Title of Graph: “Uranium Decay Curve” • Y axis: Amount of U-238 left in sample. • X-axis: TIME in Half-lives (10 seconds each) • Starting Length of licorice represents the amount of U-238 in the sample today. Mark the length on your graph paper. • HALF-LIFE: 10 seconds. At the end of each half-life, break the licorice in half. Mark the new length on your decay curve. • This shows that in every half-life, half of the remaining U-238 decays to Pb-209 or other atoms. • Complete 6 half lives.

  8. Questions • After one half-life, how much of the original licorice is left? Thus, how much U-238 was left? • What happened to the other U-238 atoms? • Each time U-238 emits particles from its nucleus, it turns into an element with less mass in the nucleus. Does this violate conservation of mass? • If you found a sample with ¼ a stick of licorice, in other words, ¼ U-238 remaining, how old would it be in seconds?

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