fission

(noun)

The process of splitting the nucleus of an atom into smaller particles; nuclear fission

Related Terms

Examples of fission in the following topics:

  • Nuclear Weapons

    • The proliferation of nuclear weapons, explosive devices which derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions (either fission or a combination of fission and fusion), is an important challenge of foreign policy.
    • On August 6, 1945, a uranium gun-type fission bomb was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
    • Three days later, on August 9, a plutonium implosion-type fission bomb was exploded over Nagasaki, Japan.