Fairleigh Dickinson University
(Classical Probability) Fission occurs when the nucleus of an atom captures a subatomic particle called a neutron and splits into lighter nuclei. This causes energy to be released. At the same time other neutrons are emitted, two or three on the average. If at lease one of these is captured by another fissionable nucleus, then a chain reaction is possible. Tip: Toss a fair coin three times.
Consider a reaction in which three neutrons are emitted initially. Let c denote that a given neutron is captured by another nucleus; let n denote that the neutron is not captured by another nucleus. Construct a tree denoting the possible behavior for three neutrons