How is the only way you can split an atom in half??????????

Question: How is the only way you can split an atom in half??????????

Asked by 35yarders to Mark on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: General.
- Mark Lancaster answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Do you mean the atom or the nucleus – if you bombard an atom with neutrons of the right energy then for certain elements that will likely cause it to undergo nuclear fission and split into roughly two equal parts. You can strip off half the electrons with a suitably chosen electric field. So yes it can be done. Hydrogen only being a proton and an electron is easy – you can strip off the electron with a voltage of approx 10V. Some elements are more tricky to split in half e.g. helium since it is very stable.

Question: How is the only way you can split an atom in half??????????