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
This nuclear reaction produces energy, shooting the electron out of the atom at high speed.
—
Rhett Allain, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024
It was soon tasked with making a limited number of pits for submarines, but that project was scuttled when it was revealed that scientists had put a number of pits side by side for the purpose of taking a photograph—a scenario that, hypothetically, could lead to a critical nuclear reaction.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
Similar to how computers simulate growing galaxies or nuclear reactions (without actually being a galaxy or a nuclear reaction), matchgate circuits simulate a group of fermions, a family of elementary particles that contains electrons.
—Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2023
When the uranium projectile met the uranium cylinder, this triggered a nuclear reaction.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 1 Aug. 2023
If a nuclear reaction is begun by the splitting of an atom, in our country’s current politics, a chain reaction of legal and electoral chaos may well be triggered by the nomination of Donald Trump as the GOP’s presidential candidate.
—Dan Lennington, National Review, 29 Aug. 2023
The marbles represent the amount of uranium that has been successfully mined and refined to power the nuclear reaction.
—Ngofeen Mputubwele, WIRED, 21 Aug. 2023
Like an aircraft carrier, this atomic bomb had to use linear space in a very exacting way in order to reach the right velocity to initiate the nuclear reaction.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 1 Aug. 2023
One year after Pearl Harbor, the Met Lab team achieved a sustained nuclear reaction in the world's first reactor.
—Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 22 July 2023
Rhett Allain, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024
It was soon tasked with making a limited number of pits for submarines, but that project was scuttled when it was revealed that scientists had put a number of pits side by side for the purpose of taking a photograph—a scenario that, hypothetically, could lead to a critical nuclear reaction.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
Similar to how computers simulate growing galaxies or nuclear reactions (without actually being a galaxy or a nuclear reaction), matchgate circuits simulate a group of fermions, a family of elementary particles that contains electrons.
—Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2023
When the uranium projectile met the uranium cylinder, this triggered a nuclear reaction.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 1 Aug. 2023
If a nuclear reaction is begun by the splitting of an atom, in our country’s current politics, a chain reaction of legal and electoral chaos may well be triggered by the nomination of Donald Trump as the GOP’s presidential candidate.
—Dan Lennington, National Review, 29 Aug. 2023
The marbles represent the amount of uranium that has been successfully mined and refined to power the nuclear reaction.
—Ngofeen Mputubwele, WIRED, 21 Aug. 2023
Like an aircraft carrier, this atomic bomb had to use linear space in a very exacting way in order to reach the right velocity to initiate the nuclear reaction.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 1 Aug. 2023
One year after Pearl Harbor, the Met Lab team achieved a sustained nuclear reaction in the world's first reactor.
—Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 22 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nuclear reaction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Nuclear reaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuclear%20reaction. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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