Nuclear Fission: GCSE revision

[@jenko701]

Lisa Meitner is a great person for those who are interested to look up .She saw that as the atom split into two masses there was a deficit in mass and it must be converted into energy per E=MC squared . What insight.

[@gingermanbread2000]

Great video as always, just to add the point that most nuclear reactors don't normally use the control rods to stop the run away chain reaction, they use a neutron moderator (such as water) which reduces it's ability to slow down neutrons with increased temperature (a negative temperature coefficient of reactivity). So when the plant starts to get too hot, the water heats up and expands, is less able to slow down the neutrons, resulting in neutrons which are too fast to fission new uranium atoms. It's probably beyond the GCSE scope, and I can see why you don't go into it, but the control rods are normally used to start and stop the nuclear fission, moderation is used to 'control' the rate of fission and prevent runaway chain reactions.

[@DrPhysicsA]

Thanks. As you anticipated, I have kept the video in line with the syllabus for GCSE level understanding.

[@davidhart9106]

Homerun! By far the best KZbin video description of how nuclear fission in a reactor works.

[@vivaanbo3905]

You probably dont care but does any of you know a trick to get back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid lost the password. I appreciate any tips you can offer me!

[@kelvincaden6933]

@Vivaan Bo instablaster :)

[@vivaanbo3905]

@Kelvin Caden I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@vivaanbo3905]

@Kelvin Caden It worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thank you so much you saved my account :D

[@kelvincaden6933]

@Vivaan Bo you are welcome :D

[@dewinthemorning]

This important part of science was very clearly narrated and visually presented! Thank you. Fav'ed

[@bobbytirlea]

I am quite interested in atom physics as well, and Indeed you are a man of much knowledge and wisdom, sharing clear and profound teachings! I thank and respect you much for the great lessons you share with us all!

[@mahmoudm451]

You said in a previous video that decay happens spontaneously and that there is no way to enhance it or make it faster. However, in this video when we hit the uranium atom with a thermal neutron we made it decay..doesn't that mean that we forced it to decay? or in other words, sped the process of decaying?

[@DrPhysicsA]

Previously I was talking about spontaneous decay. In this video we are hitting atoms with thermal neutrons. Even so, you can't be sure which atoms will be hit and thence decay.

[@Elios0000]

can you do a video on the Thorium fuel cycle?

[@something5692]

also is there a half life or is the reaction endless until it gets to hydrogen

[@something5692]

2 questions. when it hits the atom is the 2 atom created random and also when you say slow how slow do u mean

[@timex1735]

Is the energy produced just the kinetic energy of the particles? And then this can be converted into heat and light etc ?

[@charlottetejudo805]

This man is truly the only reason that I know physics

[@raphael7252]

physics exam tomorrow and this was a big help for my last minute revision! Thanks!

[@DrPhysicsA]

Hope the exam goes well.

[@raphael7252]

DrPhysicsA it did got an A*

[@IndiraChowdhuryMusic]

Thank you sir for this great video

[@Lussbull]

Why does the mass deficit occour? Is it because the density decreases?

[@DrPhysicsA]

Not really. It is just that mass and energy are one and the same thing and at this level they can interchange.

[@abdullahab4850]

when a nucleus splits up into middle mass nuclei then what happens to the electrons surrounding the parent nucleus? do daughter nuclei share these electrons? since daughter nuclei are neutral so how it actually works?

[@mahmoudm451]

yes I believe that the electrons will be shared between both the daughter nuclei, and each one will take the number of electrons that matches it's number of protons.

[@something5692]

how do u remember all this I had to listen to whole thing like 5 times and I understood only like half of it

[@DrPhysicsA]

Persevere with it. It will become clear. All good wishes.

[@Metallurgist47]

If the number of neutrons and protons are the same before and after the nuclear reaction , why is there a mass difference to produce energy ?

[@DrPhysicsA]

The baryon number (i.e. total number of protons + neutrons) remains unchanged but neutrons can change to protons. Neutrons are slightly more massive than protons so there is a mass excess.

[@anomin89]

How do you obtain a slow neutron(s)?

[@DrPhysicsA]

One way would be to pass them thro something which absorbs their energy and thus slows them down

[@anomin89]

DrPhysicsA That is for the slow part but the neutron himself?Thanks.

[@something5692]

please can u be dr chemistry aswell

[@rommelron9626]

TNX TNX TNX . . .! !