Nuclear awareness flashcards

How was beta decay discovered

Enrico fermi discovered that combing u-38 with an electron created np-39, a beta partical, and other radiation

how was the idea of beta decay expanded on to explain nuclear fission

scientists found Ba-141 as a product and suggested it came from a nucleus splitting apart

What did oak ridge do

they found ways to enrich uranium creating uranium 235

what did univeristy of chicago do

they discovered chain reactions, and that graphite slows down neutrons

what did los alamos do

they built the bomb

why must urnamium be enriched

only a small amount is naturally fissable

What’s the internal structure of atomic bombs

a explosive charged makes a hollow uranium bullet crash into a uranium target spike combining two subcritical masses

why was the triniy test important and what was it

it was the first testing to nuclear weapons

what is nuclear fallout

a nuclear explosion in the atmosphere that carries radiactive matieral through the wind

compare and contrast thermonuclear and atomic bombs

thermonuclear bombs use fission to compress fusion fuel, atomic bombs only use fission

why is strontium bad for us

it concentrates in bone tissue, harming our bones

what three compnents of nuclear fallout are we lowk scared of

stronium, cesium, Iodine

why is cesium bad for us

concentrates in muscle tissue

why is iodine bad for us

concentrates in the thyroid causing cancer

What did the nuclear test ban treaty do

testing was banned in outer space, underwater, and the atmosphere, being a first step towards control of weapons

How do coal power plants work

coal is burned to heat water and produce steam that turns a turbine creating electricity

how do thermal nuclear reactors work

nuclear power plants have a similar design and use the energy released during nuclear fission to heat water and generate steam

what’s a moderator susbstance

a substance that slows down neutrons so they can be absorbed by another U-235 nucleus

how do control rods work in nuclear reactors

they are made out of substance which absorb lots of neutrons putting the reactor in a subcritical state

how did the structure of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl mess up

the control rods had graphite tips which increased fission, and when the moderators tried to put the rods in to fix the reactor, it got jammed, speeding up the reaction

what percentage of power globally comes from nucleur plants and why arent they used more

4-6% of power is nucleur and its not used because of fear from chernoble

how do nuclear plant death rates compare to others

nuclear is one of the safest with fossil fuels being much worse, and only solar power being safer

hows nuclear waste stored in the us

the left over u-35 is put in containers and sits in silos at the plants