Nuclear Fission & Nuclear Fusion (Cambridge International IGCSE Science)

Spec point — P5.1.7

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

Exam Hint You are not required to know the details of how nuclear fission and nuclear fusion occur for your exam, but you do need to understand the differences between them.