Nuclear energy, also called atomic energy, is the powerful energy released by changes in the nucleus (core) of atoms. The heat and light of the sun result from nuclear energy. Scientists and engineers have found many uses for this energy, including the production of electric power, the explosion of nuclear weapons, and the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
Scientists knew nothing about nuclear energy until the early 1900’s, though they knew that all matter consists of atoms. Through further study, scientists learned that a nucleus makes up most of the mass (quantity of matter) of every atom and that this nucleus is held together by an extremely strong force. A huge amount of energy is concentrated in the nucleus because of this force. The next step was to make nuclei let go of much of that energy.
Scientists first released nuclear energy on a large scale at the University of Chicago in 1942, three years after World War II began. This achievement led to the development of the atomic bomb. The first atomic bomb was exploded in the desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945. In August, United States planes dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The bombs largely destroyed both cities and helped end World War II.
Since 1945, scientists have developed peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The energy released by nuclei creates large amounts of heat. This heat can be used to make steam, and the steam can be used to drive machines that generate electric power. Engineers have built devices called nuclear reactors to produce and control nuclear energy.
A nuclear reactor operates somewhat like a furnace. However, instead of using such fossil fuels as coal or oil, almost all reactors use uranium. And instead of burning in the reactor, the uranium fissions—that is, its nuclei split into two or more fragments. As a nucleus splits, it releases energy that is converted largely into heat. The fission of 1 pound of uranium releases more energy than the burning of 3 million pounds (1,500 tons) of coal. Stated in metric terms, the fission of 1 kilogram of uranium releases more energy than the burning of 3 million kilograms (3,000 metric tons) of coal.
One important peaceful use of nuclear energy is the production of electric power. Nuclear energy also powers some submarines, surface ships, and spacecraft. Nuclear reactions also produce particles and rays called nuclear radiation that have uses in medicine, industry, and science. However, nuclear radiation can be extremely dangerous. Exposure to too much radiation can result in a condition called radiation sickness
Almost all the world’s electric energy is produced by hydroelectric and thermal power plants. Hydroelectric plants use the force of rushing water from a dam or waterfall to generate electric power. Thermal plants use the force of steam from boiling water. The great majority of thermal plants burn fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—to produce heat to boil water. The remaining thermal plants fission uranium.
Few countries have enough water power to generate large amounts of hydroelectric power, and many regions have already fully exploited their hydroelectric capacity. Most countries depend mainly on fossil fuels. But fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource, and burning them produces gases that can damage the environment. Therefore, many experts predict that nuclear power will become increasingly important
Nuclear power reactors produce electric power in about 30 countries. There are about 440 reactors worldwide. These reactors produce about 16 percent of the world’s electric power. The United States is the world’s largest producer of nuclear energy. In addition to these reactors, there are more than 3,000 nuclear facilities worldwide that are used for applications in research, medicine, industry, and agriculture.
Nuclear power plants have two main advantages over fossil-fuel plants. (1) Once built, a nuclear plant can be less expensive to operate than a fossil-fuel plant, mainly because a nuclear plant uses a much smaller volume of fuel. (2) Uranium, unlike fossil fuels, releases no chemical or solid pollutants into the air during use.
However, nuclear power plants have three major disadvantages. These disadvantages have slowed the development of nuclear energy in some countries. (1) Nuclear plants cost more to build than fossil-fuel plants. (2) Because of the need to assure that hazardous amounts of radioactive materials are not released, nuclear plants must meet certain government regulations that fossil-fuel plants do not have to meet. For example, a nuclear plant must satisfy the government that it can quickly and automatically deal with any kind of emergency. (3) Used nuclear fuel produces dangerous radiation long after it has been removed from the reactor. As a result, safe disposal of nuclear waste presents a challenge
Many experts believe that the benefits of nuclear energy outweigh any problems
What grade level is it?
February 25th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
With an F.
It’s too long to hold my attention. Try whittling it down to a sentence or two. Three, if they’re short ones.
Edit: Actually, nevermind. Hold up a sec. This isn’t too bad.
Edit, 2: Okay, the paper’s actually pretty good, assuming it’s for an English class of some sort. I like how you took a general overview of nuclear stuff and dumbed it down for the reader who probably isn’t too knowledgable on the subject.
One technical edit I’d make is that nuclear fuel, for fission at least, isn’t renewable. (Sure, we can technically make it, but we can also technically fossil fuels. But they’re both not practical to make with current tech, ignoring bio-fuels, which doesn’t help nuclear’s case.)
Our nuclear fuel supply on Earth, if we relied on it heavily, would become depleted at an alarming rate. One source I researched a couple years back claimed that it would be under eleven years, assuming 100% efficiency (which isn’t even close to possible with our tech), if we soley relied on nuclear for all power generation.
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February 25th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Why no discussion of fusion as opposed to fission?
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February 25th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
fuck yahoo answers and its auto choosing category system..
that was quite good however i suggest you stay more on point don’t deviate from the main subject, also the last line ”Many experts believe that the benefits of nuclear energy outweigh any problems” you should credit that to some type of research thingy, a link or something, you have to come up with some type of demographic if you say that sort of stuff, otherwise you might be like the majority here
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February 25th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
What grade level is it?
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February 25th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
It depends what it’s for. (Grade level, class, etc.).
The English is enough to get past me – and I’m a bit of a stickler for proper communication. The content is accurate, and decently thorough if the focus is the history and application of nuclear power. (As one person suggested, though, one of the most interesting elements of nuclear power is its current development, which includes the pursuit of power by nuclear fusion – a method quite different from conventional fission, perhaps meriting separate discussion. And as another person suggested, eventual fuel depletion may merit being included among the disadvantages.)
Unless this is a technical paper for a high-level science-oriented class of some sort, I would say this is excellent, and I’d consider it exemplary work by most standards.
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