Question

Which model best describes a nuclear chain reaction?
A. a person balancing on a wobbly ladder
B. bowling ball knocking down bowling pins

Answer 1

The model that best describes a nuclear chain reaction is **B. bowling ball knocking down bowling pins**.

In a nuclear chain reaction, an initial event (like the decay of a radioactive atom) can trigger additional events (further decays or fissions), similar to how a bowling ball knocking down one pin can cause a chain reaction of other pins falling. Each bowled pin represents a nucleus that, once struck, can lead to further reactions, much like a chain reaction in nuclear fission where a single nucleus splitting can cause nearby nuclei to split as well.

In contrast, option A (a person balancing on a wobbly ladder) does not illustrate the concept of a chain reaction effectively, as it pertains more to balance and stability rather than the propagation of a sequence of events as found in a nuclear reaction.