Nuclear Processes

Learn about the power of atoms with this list of terms related to nuclear processes. You'll review properties of atoms, types of radiation, ions and isotopes, nuclear fission and fusion, and more.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. absorber
    material in a nuclear reactor that absorbs radiation
  2. absorption
    when radiated energy is retained on passing through a medium
  3. alpha decay
    radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus that is accompanied by the emission of an alpha particle
  4. alpha particle
    a positively charged particle that is the nucleus of the helium atom; emitted from natural or radioactive isotopes
  5. atom
    the smallest component of an element
  6. atomic bomb
    a nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission (splitting the nuclei of a heavy element like uranium 235 or plutonium 239)
  7. atomic mass
    the property of an atom that causes it to have weight
  8. atomic number
    quantity of protons in the nucleus of an atom of an element
  9. atomic weight
    (chemistry) the mass of an atom of a chemical element expressed in atomic mass units
  10. background radiation
    radiation coming from sources other than those being observed
  11. beta decay
    radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus that is accompanied by the emission of a beta particle
  12. beta particle
    a high-speed electron or positron emitted in the decay of a radioactive isotope
  13. binding energy
    the energy required to separate particles from a molecule or atom or nucleus; equals the mass defect
  14. breeder reactor
    a nuclear reactor that produces more fissile material than it burns
  15. chain reaction
    a series of chemical reactions in which the product of one is a reactant in the next
  16. curie
    a unit of radioactivity equal to the amount of a radioactive isotope that decays at the rate of 37,000,000,000 disintegrations per second
  17. decay
    the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance
  18. electromagnetic radiation
    radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge
  19. electron
    an elementary particle with negative charge
  20. electron volt
    a unit of energy equal to the work done by an electron accelerated through a potential difference of 1 volt
  21. Enrico Fermi
    Italian nuclear physicist (in the United States after 1939) who worked on artificial radioactivity caused by neutron bombardment and who headed the group that in 1942 produced the first controlled nuclear reaction (1901-1954)
  22. Ernest Rutherford
    British physicist (born in New Zealand) who discovered the atomic nucleus and proposed a nuclear model of the atom (1871-1937)
  23. excited
    (of e.g. a molecule) made reactive or more reactive
  24. gamma radiation
    electromagnetic radiation emitted during radioactive decay and having an extremely short wavelength
  25. gamma ray
    electromagnetic radiation emitted during radioactive decay and having an extremely short wavelength
  26. half-life
    the time required for something to fall to half its initial value (in particular, the time for half the atoms in a radioactive substance to disintegrate)
  27. hydrogen bomb
    a nuclear weapon that releases atomic energy by union of light (hydrogen) nuclei at high temperatures to form helium
  28. ion
    a particle that is electrically charged positive or negative
  29. ionizing radiation
    high-energy radiation capable of producing ionization in substances through which it passes
  30. irradiate
    expose to radiation
  31. isomer
    a compound that exists in forms having different arrangements of atoms but the same molecular weight
  32. isotope
    atom with same atomic number, different number of neutrons
  33. Lise Meitner
    Swedish physicist (born in Austria) who worked in the field of radiochemistry with Otto Hahn and formulated the concept of nuclear fission with Otto Frisch (1878-1968)
  34. Marie Curie
    French chemist who won two Nobel prizes
  35. mass defect
    the amount by which the mass of an atomic nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of its constituent particles
  36. neutron
    a subatomic particle with zero charge
  37. nuclear
    deriving destructive energy from releasing atomic energy
  38. nuclear fission
    a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
  39. nuclear fusion
    a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
  40. nuclear reaction
    (physics) a process that alters the energy or structure or composition of atomic nuclei
  41. nuclear reactor
    (physics) any of several kinds of apparatus that maintain and control a nuclear reaction for the production of energy or artificial elements
  42. nucleon
    a constituent (proton or neutron) of an atomic nucleus
  43. nucleonics
    the branch of physics that studies the internal structure of atomic nuclei
  44. nucleus
    the positively charged dense center of an atom
  45. positron
    an elementary particle with positive charge
  46. proton
    a stable particle with positive charge
  47. rad
    a unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material
  48. radioactive
    exhibiting or caused by emissions in nuclear decay
  49. radioactive decay
    the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
  50. radioisotope
    a radioactive isotope of an element
  51. scintillation counter
    counter tube in which light flashes when exposed to ionizing radiation
  52. stability
    the quality of being enduring and free from change
  53. tracer
    (radiology) any radioactive isotope introduced into the body to study metabolism or other biological processes
  54. transmutation
    the change of one chemical element into another
Created on Mon Feb 20 22:32:15 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 10 15:47:06 EDT 2017)

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