Nuclear Fission Simulation: http://tinyurl.com/255oytg 6. What happens to the re
ID: 2108840 • Letter: N
Question
Nuclear Fission Simulation: http://tinyurl.com/255oytg
6. What happens to the reaction as the proportion of U-238 nuclei increases? Explain why this happens.
7. If you were trying to design the most efficient nuclear fission reactor possible, what ratio of U-235 to U-238 would you want? Explain why.
Select the Nuclear Reactor tab at the top. Experiment with changing the settings and firing the neutrons and watch what happens. Then answer the questions below.
Watch very closely to the fission reactions as they happen. Specifically watch what happens to the loose neutrons after the reaction.
8. What happens if the neutrons hit another nucleus?
9. What happens if the neutrons hit a control rod?
10. Compare the chain reaction that occurs when the control rods are inserted further into the reactor versus when they are pulled mostly out of the reactor.
11. If the purpose of a nuclear reactor in a power plant is to produce energy, why are there control rods?
Explanation / Answer
6)The reaction becomes slower. It takes more time to fission all of the U-235. This is because some of the neutrons hit U-238 and are absorbed, changing U-238 to U-239. The more U-238 there is the
more likely it is that a neutron will hit a U-238 nucleus.
8)If the neutron hits another nucleus, the reaction continues.
9) If the nucleus hits a control rod it is absorbed and no further reaction takes place.
10)When the rods are inserted the chain reaction takes place for a while then stops even though there are unreacted nuclei left. When the rods are withdrawn, the reaction continues until most or all of thenuclei have reacted
11)The control rods help to control how fast the reaction takes place. You may not always need the same amount of power being produced. They can also keep the reactor from heating up too much
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.