How are chain reactions applied to nuclear physics?

Question

How are chain reactions applied to nuclear physics?

Answer 1

WHEN AHEAVY ATOM NUTRAN TOUCH  NUCLIES PROTON AND NUTRAN  BIND ING ENERGY WIL REALISE REALISE ALOT OF ENERGY REALISE .92U235+0n1=kripton and barium produces

Answer 2

ping pong balls on moustraps baby, it's always ping pong balls on mousetraps.

one ball, on average, has to trigger one or more traps to be a chain reaction (or the reaction dies out)

for your purpose the ping pong balls are probably neutrons, and they are probably slamming into atomic nuclei hard enough to knock free more neutrons.

And given the relative ENORMOUS empty space between atomic nuclei, you can imagine there must be a LOT of neutrons bouncing around for it to get exciting.

Nuclear materials are interesting in particular because they are extremely dense (atomic nuclie are closer together) and have fat nuclei (lots of protons/neutrons in the nucleus) so they are both easier to hit, and kick out more stuff to continue the action.

but given high enough density and kinetic energy and probably anything can do a chain reaction.. for awhile at least.

even ping pong balls and mouse traps.