Nuclear Fission
The splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter nuclei with the release of neutrons and a large amount of energy.
Formula / equation
²³⁵U + n → fragments + 2–3n + energy
Unit
MeV
In depth
Fission releases about 200 MeV per event, roughly fifty million times a typical combustion reaction per atom. The two fragments are usually of unequal mass and are highly radioactive, which is the origin of the long-lived waste problem.
Examples in the real world
Uranium-235 splitting into barium-141 and krypton-92 with three neutrons released.