When you say the words nuclear science, most people think of things such as, bombs, rockets, and nuclear power plants. However, there are many other topics that relate to nuclear science that may not be quite as exciting but are just as important. Today I will be telling you about something that is often ignored, fission power.
Many people confuse fission power with fusion power. Nonetheless, they are two completely different things. Fusion power is the combining of two nuclei rather than the split apart. Nuclear fission is a process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The splitting of the atom is caused by two different things. The first is a natural decay, which is the breakdown of an atomic nucleus that
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This energy is a great source of power. Nuclear power was first developed in the 1940’s. During World War II, nuclear power research was mainly focused on splitting the atoms’ nucleus of Plutonium and Uranium to make bombs. In the 1950’s the research took a more peaceful side, starting with power generation. Today, the world produces as much electricity from nuclear energy as it did from sources combined in the early years of nuclear power.
Most commonly, nuclear power is used to generate power in a nuclear power plant. Nuclear power plants heat water which then turns into steam. This pressurized steam is used to power turbine generators which then creates energy. Older nuclear power plants burn fossil fuels in order to heat the water. However, newer power plants use the heat energy that is created in nuclear fission.
This process creates a lot of nuclear waste that can be very dangerous for humans and the environment. The waste created in these nuclear power plants is extremely radioactive and stays radioactive for thousands of years. It is so toxic that if you are standing within a few meters of it when it is released you will be poisoned and die in a few short days. That sounds pretty terrible, which explains all the concern about it. Nuclear fission power has many safety, environmental, and political