Nuclear fission & nuclear fusion
Extended tier only
Nuclear fission
- Energy is released from nuclear fuel in nuclear reactors
- This process of releasing energy is called nuclear fission
- In nuclear fission, large nuclei are split into smaller nuclei
Nuclear fission
In nuclear fission, larger nuclei are split into smaller nuclei, releasing lots of energy in the process
Nuclear fusion
- The Sun releases energy by the process of nuclear fusion
- Nuclear fusion requires extremely high temperature and pressures that can only be found in the core of a star
- In nuclear fusion, small nuclei are joined to form larger nuclei
Nuclear fusion
In nuclear fusion, smaller nuclei are joined into larger nuclei, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process
Examiner Tip
You are not required to know the details of how nuclear fission and nuclear fusion occur for your IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences exam, but you do need to understand the differences between them.
