nuclear reaction
noun
physics
: a process in which the nucleus of an atom is changed by being split apart or joined with the nucleus of another atom
Examples of nuclear reaction in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yes, the sun produces light from a nuclear reaction in its core.
—
Rhett Allain, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2025
In 1917, while at Victoria University of Manchester in England, Rutherford was the first to intentionally split the atom through a nuclear reaction.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
But this was no mere flick of the finger: For the first time in history, a nuclear reaction had generated a significant amount of electricity.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
If there's a great enough concentration of fuel, the result is a self-sustaining nuclear reaction.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2024
Development of the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, as the reactor that powered the lightbulbs was known, began in the late 1940s, as the United States government sought to develop a nuclear reaction process that would extend its finite supply of uranium.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
In 2013, weapons development at the lab’s plutonium facility temporarily ceased after a series of incidents, including one in which staff members arranged plutonium rods together, for a photo opportunity, in a scenario that could have sparked an enormous nuclear reaction.
—Abe Streep, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024
The result is a fuel assembly that is extremely durable, resistant to heat and corrosion, and produces a self-limiting nuclear reaction that cannot go out of control.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
Mistaking forbearance for weakness, NATO spokespersons have scoffed, contending that since previous provocations elicited no nuclear reaction, the West can cross any and all Russian red lines with impunity.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024
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Rhett Allain, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2025
In 1917, while at Victoria University of Manchester in England, Rutherford was the first to intentionally split the atom through a nuclear reaction.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
But this was no mere flick of the finger: For the first time in history, a nuclear reaction had generated a significant amount of electricity.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
If there's a great enough concentration of fuel, the result is a self-sustaining nuclear reaction.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2024
Development of the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, as the reactor that powered the lightbulbs was known, began in the late 1940s, as the United States government sought to develop a nuclear reaction process that would extend its finite supply of uranium.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
In 2013, weapons development at the lab’s plutonium facility temporarily ceased after a series of incidents, including one in which staff members arranged plutonium rods together, for a photo opportunity, in a scenario that could have sparked an enormous nuclear reaction.
—Abe Streep, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024
The result is a fuel assembly that is extremely durable, resistant to heat and corrosion, and produces a self-limiting nuclear reaction that cannot go out of control.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2024
Mistaking forbearance for weakness, NATO spokespersons have scoffed, contending that since previous provocations elicited no nuclear reaction, the West can cross any and all Russian red lines with impunity.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Nuclear reaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuclear%20reaction. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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