A-Level Physics Specification

OCR A H556

Section 6.4.4: Nuclear fission and fusion

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#6.4.4a

Einstein’s mass–energy equation;
\(ΔE = Δmc^2 \)

#6.4.4b

energy released (or absorbed) in simple nuclear reactions

#6.4.4c

creation and annihilation of particle–antiparticle pairs

#6.4.4d

mass defect; binding energy; binding energy per nucleon

#6.4.4e

binding energy per nucleon against nucleon number curve; energy changes in reactions

#6.4.4f

binding energy of nuclei using \(ΔE = Δmc^2 \) and masses of nuclei

#6.4.4g

induced nuclear fission; chain reaction

#6.4.4h

basic structure of a fission reactor; components – fuel rods, control rods and moderator

#6.4.4i

environmental impact of nuclear waste

#6.4.4j

nuclear fusion; fusion reactions and temperature

Learners will also require knowledge of 5.1.4

#6.4.4k

balancing nuclear transformation equations.