When a nucleus of uranium splits due to the impact of neutron energy is
produced. This process is called nuclear fission.
This energy is in the form of kinetic
energy of the products of the fission reaction – the remaining two nuclei of smaller mass
(called fission fragments) and two or three fast moving neutrons.
This can be converted into heat energy
There is also some energy 'locked away' in
the mass of all the particles involved in the reaction. We call this mass-energy.
Energy is produced because the mass of the uranium nucleus and the neutron is
very slightly greater than the products of the reaction – the fission fragments and the
neutrons.
The energy released in the fission of one uranium nucleus is very small
but a kilogramme of uranium contains about a million million million million million uranium
nuclei. So the fission of a kilogramme of uranium would produce a considerable amount of
energy.
In fact you would get as much energy from the fission of ALL the nuclei in 1
ton of uranium as you would from burning three million tons of coal!
This is the basis
of all nuclear fission reactors.