In 1938, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman discovered that uranium nuclei could spit and form smaller nuclei, or different elements 1938, otto what process did Hahn and Strassman discover?
1 Answer
Nov 25, 2017
Nuclear fission! Or the source of the infamous atomic bombs. :(
I am not a physicist, but atomic fission is when a large nuclide is bombarded with neutrons, splitting into smaller and smaller nuclei and more and more neutrons which produces a chain reaction.
A critical mass is the mass required for a spontaneous, self-sustaining chain reaction used in nuclear power plants. A supercritical mass is one above the mass required, leading to violent, uncontrollable chain reactions (e.g. atomic bombs).
