Nuclear FissionNuclear fission is a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into 2 or more smaller, lighter nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons, and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radioactive decay. Fission is a form of nuclear transmutation because the resulting fragments are not the same element as the original atom. The two (or more) nuclei produced are most often of comparable but slightly different sizes, typically with a mass ratio of products of about 3 to 2.
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Nuclear FusionNuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons). The difference in masses between the reactants and products is shown as either the release, or absorption of energy. This difference in mass arises due to the difference in atomic binding energy between the atomic nuclei before and after the reaction. Fusion is the process that powers active or main sequence stars, or other high magnitude stars.
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Radioactive Decay
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