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Question:

For a nuclear reactor to run in critical condition, the reproduction factor k should be?

< 1

= 1

1

1

Solution:

Reproduction factor k is the number of neutrons in one generation per neutron in the preceding generation. If k is greater than 1, the chain reaction is supercritical, and the neutron population will grow exponentially. If k is less than 1, the chain reaction is subcritical, and the neutron population will exponentially decay. If k = 1, the chain reaction is critical and the neutron population will remain constant.