Grade 10 · Science · Chemistry

10th grade Fission, fusion and how radiation is used worksheet

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Fission, fusion and how radiation is used

Grade 10 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

A neutron strikes uranium with mass number 235. It splits into barium with mass number 141, krypton with mass number 92, and some neutrons. How many neutrons, Ari?
A neutron strikes uranium with mass number 235. It splits into xenon with mass number 140, strontium with mass number 94, and some neutrons. How many neutrons, Bo?
A neutron strikes uranium with mass number 235. It splits into barium with mass number 144, krypton with mass number 89, and some neutrons. How many neutrons, Esme?

Read this first

process	equation	where it happens
fission (splitting)	uranium-235 + neutron → barium-141 + krypton-92 + 3 neutrons	nuclear power plants
fusion (joining)	4 hydrogen-1 → helium-4 + 2 positrons	the Sun's core

4.
Using the card, which process powers the Sun, Kira?
- Burning coal
- Fission
- Fusion
5.
Using the card, what does the Sun's fusion make from hydrogen, Luz?
- Helium
- Carbon dioxide
- Uranium
6.
What do nuclear power plants use to make heat, Milo?
- Fission of uranium-235
- Fusion of hydrogen into helium
- Burning of coal
7.
What is carbon-14 used for, Pia?
- Making electricity in power plants
- Dating once-living things
- Lighting the Sun
8.
In a nuclear power plant, what does the heat from fission do, Ren?
- Turns into uranium again
- Boils water into steam for turbines
- Lights the bulbs in our homes directly
9.
What controls the rate of fission in a reactor, Tala?
- Adding more coal to it
- Fans that blow on the core
- Control rods that absorb neutrons
10.
Why does fission keep going as a chain reaction, Zee?
- Each fission releases neutrons
- Uranium pulls in heat from the steam
- Steam splits the nuclei

Fission, fusion and how radiation is used. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

I can tell fission (splitting heavy nuclei) from fusion (joining light nuclei).
I can balance a fission equation's mass and atomic numbers, including the incoming neutron.
I can explain how a power plant turns fission heat into electricity and how the Sun's fusion works.
I can match uses to processes: power plants, carbon-14 dating, medical tracers and the Sun.

Standard: HS-PS1-8

fission: A heavy nucleus splitting into smaller ones

fusion: Light nuclei joining into a heavier one

chain reaction: Neutrons from one fission causing more fissions

control rod: A rod that absorbs neutrons to set a reactor's rate

positron: A particle like an electron with charge +1

Your child left out the neutron that starts the fission. The left side's mass number is 235 + 1 = 236.

Your child divided. Uranium-235 gives about 2.5 million times the energy of the same mass of coal, so multiply.

Your child swapped fission and fusion. Fission splits heavy nuclei (power plants); fusion joins light nuclei (the Sun).

What is the most common mistake with fission, fusion and how radiation is used?

Your child left out the neutron that starts the fission. The left side's mass number is 235 + 1 = 236.

Are these 10th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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