Thursday, February 18, 2010
Reflection on Blog Big Six Process
I liked most of the process of doing a nuclear energy blog. The questions were so easy to come up with. I was being an inquirer when I thought of questions. I was curious and wanted to know a lot about nuclear energy with my questions. I thought of the question "Where is uranium mined?". Mrs.Hicks didn't say anything about that type of question. It was fun. I had questions like "What is nuclear energy?" I kind of liked doing research. I was a thinker when I did research, because I kept thinking what information would be good for my blog. I knew what would be on my blog and what would not.The good thing about the research is that I learned a lot of things and I had a visual view of what my blog would look like. When I did a rough draft, I was being reflective. I reflected all my information from my research on paper I liked doing a rough draft. It was a good idea to put my ideas on paper before starting. I was being knowlledgeable when I added links and pictures on my blog. I had to know what to put on my blog. I liked adding links and pictures to my blog. It made it cool. The hardest part was notes.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
A Uranium Atom and the nucleus of a plutonium atom..... what they look like up close
the model of the nucleus of a plutonium atom
model of a uranium atom
Nuclear Energy .......... The Concepts
Nuclear energy by, Amrith Lotlikar
What is energy? What is uranium and nuclear energy? Where is Uranium mined?
Energy, as defined by scientists, is the ability to do work. It is what we use to make things work and function. We need sources for energy and one of those sources is Uranium. Uranium is a mineral found in rocks used for energy, and it is non-renewable. People mine it in South Africa, North America, China, Russia and many more places. There is a lot of uranium and it won’t run out anytime soon. Like most matter, uranium is made of atoms. Inside the center of an atom is its nucleus. Inside an atom’s nucleus are neutrons and protons. Moving around the nucleus are electrons. The number of protons in an atom name what atom it is. For example, a hydrogen atom has one proton, and a uranium atom has 92 protons. There is energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. This energy is called nuclear energy. We extract that energy from Uranium. Nuclear fission is used to set free the energy of a uranium atom. In this process, no chemical exhaust is produced to pollute the air. However, the process does give off radiation -energy in the form of electromagnetic waves that can travel through empty space- which can cause cancer and poison your food.
How do we set free nuclear energy and how do we use it? How does radiation hurt us?
The two ways we set nuclear energy free from an atom are nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. In nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium atoms. The new atom that is produced doesn’t need as much energy to hold it together and gives off the unneeded energy. On the sun, hydrogen atoms combine to produce helium gas which requires less energy to hold itself together and gives off the energy as light and heat. Nuclear fusion requires a large amount of heat to occur so it is not done on Earth. In nuclear fission, uranium atoms are hit by a neutron. Because the nucleus of a uranium atom is unstable, it splits into 2 nuclei and lets off neutrons which hit other uranium atoms. This is called a nuclear chain reaction. The energy required to hold the two new atoms together is less than it did originally in the other atom. The remaining energy is released as heat. We split atoms of uranium for energy. The heat released is used to make electricity. Nuclear power doesn’t pollute the air. 20% of energy in the U.S. comes from nuclear fission of uranium atoms. Radiation is everywhere. The sun gives off radiation and so do many other things. Radiation is heat in the form of waves that can travel through empty space. When atoms break apart, radiation is given off in small amounts. Little radiation is harmless but a lot is lethal. Radiation in large amounts can produce cancer and poison food.
Why does nuclear fission give us nuclear energy? Why is radiation released? Why can we only use uranium and Plutonium for nuclear energy? Why is it called nuclear energy?
All atoms are held together by energy in an atom’s nucleus. When we split atoms the energy and radiation is released. When the radiation is released the nucleus of an atom re-arranges to the nucleus of another atom. The energy and radiation is released because the two new atoms don’t need it to stay together. This is why nuclear fission releases energy in the form of radiation. The reason we can only use Uranium for nuclear energy is because its nucleus is very unstable. We call nuclear energy “nuclear energy”, because it is from the nucleus of an atom.
How is uranium changed? Has nuclear energy replaced some of our uses of other energy sources? Will we run out of it (Uranium)?
During nuclear fission, uranium is changed to two different smaller atoms. This is because its nucleus is re-arranged into the nucleus of a different atom with a new amount of protons. The two new atoms which uranium is changed into give off the energy. The element uranium is changed because of the radiation given off, so it is really important that we change uranium. It releases the energy. Uranium has extremely changed our use of energy sources. The use of coal has gone down and Uranium has risen. The reason this is so, is that 1 pound of Uranium gives us the same amount of energy as 3,000,000 pounds of coal!!!!! Mind boggling, isn't it? You may think that uranium will last for a very long time now, but you have to consider another fact about uranium first. There are 2 primary uranium isotopes. One with 143 neutrons and 92 protons (U-235), and one with 146 neutrons and 92 protons. We can only use U-235 for nuclear energy. That is not very good news because 7/1000 of the uranium found is U-235. The other 993/1000 is U-238. There is a chance of uranium running out, but it is not in the near future.
How do people use nuclear energy? How does nuclear energy affect us? How is it different from or alike to other types of energy?
Nuclear energy, once it is released, is turned into electricity by power plants. After that it is used to power many things in our everyday lives. It is also used to power most submarines. Nuclear weapons also use nuclear fission technology. The radiation released by these weapons results in mass destruction. However, it is not a good idea to get into a nuclear war because radiation is lethal. It is important for humans to keep safe from radiation. Nuclear energy is unlike many other energy sources. You do not have to burn uranium like you have to do with fossil fuels. Nuclear energy is like other types of energy because it is used to make electricity.
What do people think of using nuclear energy? What are the pros of it? What are the cons?
The good things about nuclear energy are that the Uranium we get it from is very fuel efficient. It does not pollute the air. The cons about it are the radiation that is given off can be hurtful to living creatures. It can give humans cancer. People have opposing views on nuclear energy. Some people think that nuclear energy is a clean non-polluting way to get energy and is safe. However some people disagree. They think nuclear energy is not a good energy source. It gives off radiation which can be lethal to life on earth. I think nuclear energy should play a vital role in our energy production solution, but it should be limited and the radiation byproducts should be disposed of properly.
How do we know radiation is harmful? How do we know there is energy in an atom?
The first radioactive bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan resulting in about 1,000 deaths and mutations caused by radiation exposure. Even people far from the site were killed. This proves that the spread of radiation had killed them. Also there are reports of scientists working with radioactive materials that died. We can conclude from this that radiation is harmful. We know there is energy in atoms because of these questions. What holds atoms together? What keeps it in function? The most sensible answer is energy. That is how we know there is energy in atoms.
What should we do about radiation? Do we need to conserve nuclear energy?
To protect earth from radiation, we must avoid nuclear warfare. Using radiation to kill people is bad. After nuclear fission, radioactive waste must be disposed of properly. We also must limit the use of nuclear energy to protect the earth and its life. We do not have to do much to conserve nuclear energy since it is very fuel efficient. However it is always a good idea to conserve nuclear energy because then it will last longer for future generations.
What is energy? What is uranium and nuclear energy? Where is Uranium mined?
Energy, as defined by scientists, is the ability to do work. It is what we use to make things work and function. We need sources for energy and one of those sources is Uranium. Uranium is a mineral found in rocks used for energy, and it is non-renewable. People mine it in South Africa, North America, China, Russia and many more places. There is a lot of uranium and it won’t run out anytime soon. Like most matter, uranium is made of atoms. Inside the center of an atom is its nucleus. Inside an atom’s nucleus are neutrons and protons. Moving around the nucleus are electrons. The number of protons in an atom name what atom it is. For example, a hydrogen atom has one proton, and a uranium atom has 92 protons. There is energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. This energy is called nuclear energy. We extract that energy from Uranium. Nuclear fission is used to set free the energy of a uranium atom. In this process, no chemical exhaust is produced to pollute the air. However, the process does give off radiation -energy in the form of electromagnetic waves that can travel through empty space- which can cause cancer and poison your food.
How do we set free nuclear energy and how do we use it? How does radiation hurt us?
The two ways we set nuclear energy free from an atom are nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. In nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium atoms. The new atom that is produced doesn’t need as much energy to hold it together and gives off the unneeded energy. On the sun, hydrogen atoms combine to produce helium gas which requires less energy to hold itself together and gives off the energy as light and heat. Nuclear fusion requires a large amount of heat to occur so it is not done on Earth. In nuclear fission, uranium atoms are hit by a neutron. Because the nucleus of a uranium atom is unstable, it splits into 2 nuclei and lets off neutrons which hit other uranium atoms. This is called a nuclear chain reaction. The energy required to hold the two new atoms together is less than it did originally in the other atom. The remaining energy is released as heat. We split atoms of uranium for energy. The heat released is used to make electricity. Nuclear power doesn’t pollute the air. 20% of energy in the U.S. comes from nuclear fission of uranium atoms. Radiation is everywhere. The sun gives off radiation and so do many other things. Radiation is heat in the form of waves that can travel through empty space. When atoms break apart, radiation is given off in small amounts. Little radiation is harmless but a lot is lethal. Radiation in large amounts can produce cancer and poison food.
Why does nuclear fission give us nuclear energy? Why is radiation released? Why can we only use uranium and Plutonium for nuclear energy? Why is it called nuclear energy?
All atoms are held together by energy in an atom’s nucleus. When we split atoms the energy and radiation is released. When the radiation is released the nucleus of an atom re-arranges to the nucleus of another atom. The energy and radiation is released because the two new atoms don’t need it to stay together. This is why nuclear fission releases energy in the form of radiation. The reason we can only use Uranium for nuclear energy is because its nucleus is very unstable. We call nuclear energy “nuclear energy”, because it is from the nucleus of an atom.
How is uranium changed? Has nuclear energy replaced some of our uses of other energy sources? Will we run out of it (Uranium)?
During nuclear fission, uranium is changed to two different smaller atoms. This is because its nucleus is re-arranged into the nucleus of a different atom with a new amount of protons. The two new atoms which uranium is changed into give off the energy. The element uranium is changed because of the radiation given off, so it is really important that we change uranium. It releases the energy. Uranium has extremely changed our use of energy sources. The use of coal has gone down and Uranium has risen. The reason this is so, is that 1 pound of Uranium gives us the same amount of energy as 3,000,000 pounds of coal!!!!! Mind boggling, isn't it? You may think that uranium will last for a very long time now, but you have to consider another fact about uranium first. There are 2 primary uranium isotopes. One with 143 neutrons and 92 protons (U-235), and one with 146 neutrons and 92 protons. We can only use U-235 for nuclear energy. That is not very good news because 7/1000 of the uranium found is U-235. The other 993/1000 is U-238. There is a chance of uranium running out, but it is not in the near future.
How do people use nuclear energy? How does nuclear energy affect us? How is it different from or alike to other types of energy?
Nuclear energy, once it is released, is turned into electricity by power plants. After that it is used to power many things in our everyday lives. It is also used to power most submarines. Nuclear weapons also use nuclear fission technology. The radiation released by these weapons results in mass destruction. However, it is not a good idea to get into a nuclear war because radiation is lethal. It is important for humans to keep safe from radiation. Nuclear energy is unlike many other energy sources. You do not have to burn uranium like you have to do with fossil fuels. Nuclear energy is like other types of energy because it is used to make electricity.
What do people think of using nuclear energy? What are the pros of it? What are the cons?
The good things about nuclear energy are that the Uranium we get it from is very fuel efficient. It does not pollute the air. The cons about it are the radiation that is given off can be hurtful to living creatures. It can give humans cancer. People have opposing views on nuclear energy. Some people think that nuclear energy is a clean non-polluting way to get energy and is safe. However some people disagree. They think nuclear energy is not a good energy source. It gives off radiation which can be lethal to life on earth. I think nuclear energy should play a vital role in our energy production solution, but it should be limited and the radiation byproducts should be disposed of properly.
How do we know radiation is harmful? How do we know there is energy in an atom?
The first radioactive bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan resulting in about 1,000 deaths and mutations caused by radiation exposure. Even people far from the site were killed. This proves that the spread of radiation had killed them. Also there are reports of scientists working with radioactive materials that died. We can conclude from this that radiation is harmful. We know there is energy in atoms because of these questions. What holds atoms together? What keeps it in function? The most sensible answer is energy. That is how we know there is energy in atoms.
What should we do about radiation? Do we need to conserve nuclear energy?
To protect earth from radiation, we must avoid nuclear warfare. Using radiation to kill people is bad. After nuclear fission, radioactive waste must be disposed of properly. We also must limit the use of nuclear energy to protect the earth and its life. We do not have to do much to conserve nuclear energy since it is very fuel efficient. However it is always a good idea to conserve nuclear energy because then it will last longer for future generations.
Nuclear Energy Game and fun site Links
http://www.quia.com/mc/30632.html
This is a game to quiz your vocabulary.
http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/nukeenergy/nuke.htm
Have you ever thought of wotking at a nuclear power station? Here you can.
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=nuclear_home-basics
Very detailed info.on nuclear energy.
This is a game to quiz your vocabulary.
http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/nukeenergy/nuke.htm
Have you ever thought of wotking at a nuclear power station? Here you can.
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=nuclear_home-basics
Very detailed info.on nuclear energy.
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