Fusion and Fission are two important processes that are used to extract power. These methods involve the nuclei of atoms, namely the protons and neutrons, and both processes are somewhat complicated.
Fission is a process that involves the separation of particles within a nucleus. Energy is usually obtained when neutrons strike the nuclei of large, radioactive materials, such as uranium. This collision causes the nuclei to break apart into smaller pieces and give off fair amounts of energy and other neutrons. These neutrons that are broken off from the original atom begin to strike other nuclei, thus causing a chain reaction. The way energy is obtained is as follows: when the neutron strikes the radioactive material, usually uranium 235, the material becomes Uranium 236 due to the presence of an extra neutron with the nucleus. The atom now has enough energy and begins to break down into smaller pieces. The total mass of the combined pieces is less than the original mass of the nucleus, thus indicating that energy has been released. Though fission seems to be a favorable process, it produces radioactive waste and also increases the risk of serious catastrophes, such as the Chernobyl Nuclear Meltdown in Ukraine.
Fusion, as its name suggests, is when particles combine to form something larger, that in the process gives of vast amounts of energy. Fusion involves the combination of light nuclei of different atoms in order to form a larger nucleus along with energy. Fusion, in fact, is the process used by stars in order to create energy. Stars fuse nuclei of hydrogen into nuclei of helium. Fusion reactors still do not exist, due to the great amount of energy needed to start the reactions. This is because the protons must overcome their positive repulsions and combine; this takes a lot of energy to do. The advantages of fusion are that it produces no lethal waste and the materials needed are very abundant.