c l e a r

Nu
E n e rg y

by Darrion Davis
 H O
W
Enrico Fermi is basically the most important person that
had to do with the discovery of nuclear energy. He was a
physicist born in Rome, Italy and was the first scientist to
split the atom and his research led to nuclear power
generation a little on down the road. Leo Szilard and
Fermi discovered the first nuclear reactor that caused
nuclear chain reactions.

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 WH
AT
Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of
uranium atoms in a process called fission. At the
power plant, the fission process is used to
generate heat for producing steam, which is used
by a turbine to generate electricity.
 E N
W H
December 2, 1942— Dr. Enrico Fermi achieves the first controlled nuclear
chain reaction with the first demonstration reactor—the Chicago Pile 1.
August 6, 1945— The U.S. drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan,
and three days later drops another bomb on Nagasaki. World War II ends
days later.
August 1, 1946— President Harry S. Truman signs the Atomic Energy Act
of 1946, putting the fledgling nuclear energy industry under civilian control,
and creating the powerful Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic
Energy.
October 6, 1947— The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission first investigates
the possibility of peaceful uses of atomic energy, issuing a report the
following year.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING
A NUCLEAR REACTION?
In both fission and fusion nuclear reactions where the net
result is lower mass, the lost mass is converted directly to
energy. The amount of energy created can be found with
Einstein's famous E=MC^2 equation, where M is the
difference in mass before and after the reaction.
 RADIATION:
Alpha Radiation
● Charge Power: 3.2 x 10^-19 Coulombs. The Alpha has two protons & two
neutrons. The protons have the same charge as an electron, except they are
positive. Neutrons have no charge.

● What stops it: a few inches of air, a sheet of paper, your skin, etc. This is
because alpha particles are heavy, with an atomic mass number of four, and
charged, with an atomic charge of +2; as a result, they interact with other
matter very, very easily.

● What it looks like:

 RADIATION:
Beta Radiation
● Charge Power: -1.602 x 10^–19 Coulombs to be exact.

● What stops it: Beta particles can be blocked by a thick piece of

cardboard or by a piece of aluminum foil.

● Symbol:
 Radiation:
Gamma Radiation
● What Stops Them: Heavy shielding of lead or concrete, such
as a nuclear power plant's containment structure, will stop gamma rays.

● Charge: Gamma rays have a

completely neutral charge.

● Symbol:
How To Detect Radiation
A Gieger counter (or Geiger-Müller counter) is
the most common tool for detecting radiation. It
works with all types of radiation, that is
particulate (like alpha and beta radiation) and
electromagnetic (gamma radiation. Its operation
is based on the ionizing power of the radiation,
and it is a fairly simple, cheap and tough piece of
gear to take into the field.
The Uses of Nuclear Energy
● Clean Water: The water discharged from nuclear power plants is very safe, is free of radiation or
harmful pollutants, and meets all regulatory standards. Hence, it helps in protecting the aquatic life
and conserving wildlife.

● Reliable: One utmost importance of nuclear energy is reliability. The energy doesn't have to depend
upon weather conditions, unpredictable costs, or foreign supplies. It's a reliable source of energy,
even during extreme weather changes. The plants can run for about 500 to 700 days continuously,
before they are shut down for refueling.

● Food and Agriculture: The use of isotopes and radiation techniques in agriculture come under this
category. Leading organizations have been working on the technology to increase agricultural
production, improve food availability and quality, reduce production costs, and minimize pollution
of food crop.

● Reduces the Dependence on Fossil Fuels: There has been an increase in production and supply of
fossil fuels like oil and gas, as the world has been using them at an unbelievable pace. Their deposits
are emptying. On the other hand, nuclear energy requires very little quantity of fuel to produce large
quantities of energy. Consider this, one ton of uranium can produce energy that is more than that of
several million tons of coal and oil.
Nuclear Fission vs. Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion and nuclear fission are two different types of
energy-releasing reactions in which energy is released from
high-powered atomic bonds between the particles within the
nucleus. The main difference between these two processes is
that fission is the splitting of an atom into two or more smaller
ones while fusion is the fusing of two or more smaller atoms
into a larger one.
 Nuclear Decay

Radioactive decay is the process by which an

unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting
ionizing particles or radiation. The emission is
spontaneous in that the nucleus decays without
collision with another particle.
 Detailed Case of Radiation
http://www.naturalnews.com/031823_Japan_radiation.html

"The headlines we wake up to Monday morning say: A new column of smoke

rising from an overheating nuclear plant in Japan drove workers out of the
smoldering site dented hopes for a breakthrough in the post-quake atomic
crisis.The World Health Organization said today that radiation in food after an
earthquake damaged a Japanese nuclear plant was more than serious as previously
thought, eclipsing signs of progress in a battle to avert a catastrophic meltdown in
the reactors."

For more information, check out the link.

 References:
Who- http://www.alternativeenergysecret.com/who-invented-nuclear-energy.html
What- http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/Community/WhatIsNuclearEnergy.shtm
When- http://library.thinkquest.org/C005271F/timeline.html
What happens during a nuclear reaction-
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happens_to_matter_in_a_nuclear_reaction

Alpha Radiation:http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_charge_of_an_alpha_particle
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_stops_alpha_decay
Beta Radiation: http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/OES/NPPInfo/powerplantformation/radiationinformation.htm
Gamma Radiation: http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/OES/NPPInfo/powerplantformation/radiationinformation.htm
How To Detect Radiation: http://orise.orau.gov/reacts/guide/detect.htm
Uses of Nuclear Energy: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/uses-of-nuclear-energy.html
F&F- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Nuclear_Fission_vs_Nuclear_Fusion
Nuclear Decay: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_decay
Detailed Radiation Case: http://www.naturalnews.com/031823_Japan_radiation.html