Duane Mckinley, Age 9, Of Phoenix, Ariz., for his question:

Is atomic fission the same as atomic fusion?

The word fission means splitting apart. The word fusion means joining together. And there is all the difference in the world between splitting something apart and joining different things together. Atmoic fission is the breaking or splitting of tiny atoms into tinier atoms and even tinier atom fragments. Atomic fusion is the fusing or joining of a number of small atoms to make larger atoms.

Only the core or nucleus of the tiny atom takes part in fission or fusion. When the nucleus is changed in any way, some of its material becomes seething mergy. We may call this atomic energy. But since it comes only from the nucleus of the atom, it is more correct to call it nuclear energy. So let's be up to date and say that nuclear fission is different from nuclear fusion, yet both fission and fusion yield lots of seething nuclear energy.