Critical mass is the minimum mass of fissile material needed to maintain a nuclear chain reaction.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q: What is the critical mass in nuclear physics?
Solution: Critical mass is the minimum mass of fissile material needed to maintain a nuclear chain reaction.
Steps: 4
Step 1: Understand what fissile material is. Fissile materials are substances that can sustain a nuclear chain reaction, like uranium-235 or plutonium-239.
Step 2: Learn about nuclear chain reactions. A nuclear chain reaction occurs when one nuclear reaction causes additional reactions, leading to a series of reactions.
Step 3: Know what critical mass means. Critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed to keep the chain reaction going without losing too many neutrons.
Step 4: Realize that if you have less than the critical mass, the reaction will die out. If you have enough (at least the critical mass), the reaction can continue and produce energy.
