Question: what cause nuclear reactions

Kasia Clarke answered on 20 Nov 2019:

In a nuclear reaction, two reacting nuclear particles (nuclei) collide and result in two new particles which are different from the ones that initially collided. In nuclear fission (used in nuclear reactors to make energy for electricity), a neutron collides and is absorbed into a uranium nucleus, which results in the uranium splitting into smaller nuclei (known as fission products) and also more neutrons. These neutrons can then collide with further uranium nuclei to create further nuclear reactions in a ‘chain reaction’. This splitting also produces energy in the form of heat, this heat is used to boil water in a nuclear reactor, creating steam, steam turns a turbine generator which generates our electricity.