Nuclear PhysicsA series of free High School Physics Video Lessons from Brightstorm online Physics series.
Fission Fission involves splitting atomic nuclei into fragments. Atoms with mass numbers close to 60 have been found to be the most stable. Atoms with mass numbers lower than 60 undergo fusion while atoms with higher mass numbers undergo fission. The energy needed to break one mole of nuclei into individual nucleons is called binding energy.
Fission Reactors Fission reactors use fissile materials to initiate fission reactions. A moderator is used to slow the reaction. If the reaction gets too hot the fuel melts and the reactor no longer functions. Control rods absorb neutrons from within the fuel to keep the fissile material from overheating. The thermal medium is either water or sodium and is used to harness the energy. The hot thermal medium boils and in its gaseous state is used to run a turbine and generate electricity. Then the thermal medium is cooled in a condenser for reuse,
Fusion Fusion involves the combining of atomic nuclei. Atoms with mass numbers lower than 60 undergo fusion while atoms with higher mass numbers undergo fission. The energy needed to break one mole of nuclei into individual nucleons is called binding energy.
Mass-Energy Equivalence Mass-energy equivalence states that mass is concentrated energy. In his theory of special relativity Einstein formulated the equation E=mc^2. There is a tremendous amount of energy in mass. A 20g marble contains as much energy as a 500 kiloton hydrogen bomb, but this energy is very difficult to release. It can be released through matter-antimatter annihilation, when matter and antimatter come together. Nuclear reactions can be understood to release so much more energy than chemical reactions because of the mass changes.
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