14:23 Mar 24, 2009 

No, I don't believe this is truly talking about 'atomic fission', which really has a quite specific meaning (and it means 'splitting the atom', not 'smashing' it). Hence why the author has used the informal term 'smashed'. I can't help thinking of this like an 'exploded view', making it easier to see what the inside of something looks like (albeit on a sub-atomic level!)

13:03 Mar 24, 2009 

donc, on parle bien de la fissuration de l'atome, même si le choix du mot anglais "smashed" est quelque peu "weird" ici

11:21 Mar 24, 2009 

Hello! Thank you very much for your note.

It'a a training manual on electrical safety measures. The chapter ia entitled « Electrical Theory ».

Here's what follows the sentence I sent = The section is entitled « Basic Electron Theory »

Physicits have explored the structure of the atom itself. They have discovered that the atom contains a core called the nucleus. This nucleus, which contains most of the mass of the atom, is made up of a certain number of positive particles of electricity called protons and a number of neutral particles or electricity called neutrons... etc.

Hope this is helping.
Thanks again.

11:11 Mar 24, 2009 

What is the overall context, to explain how this rather informal-sounding term is being used in a formal (?) context?