Nuclear physics is not for the feint of heart. However, a knowledge of the intricacies is not really necessary to be well enough informed in the nuclear debate. Some basic physics knowledge is very useful though. This chapter has a series of primers on some fundamental physics relevant to nuclear power.
- The atom
- Everyone knows what an atom is. But do you know what it is made of? This page is a primer on the structure of the atom and the origin of the energy within.
- Radioactive decay
- While the word radioactive is well known, exactly what it means for something to be radioactive is not quite so much common knowledge. This page is a primer on radioactivity and radioactive decay.
- Principles of fission
- Now to the heart of the matter. The process at work in the core of every nuclear reactor: nuclear fission, the splitting of large nuclei. This page is a primer on the basic principles behind nuclear fission as used in nuclear reactors.
- The nuclear reactor
- Bringing it all together in a reactor is not that simple. Reactors can come in all shapes and sizes. This page describes how fission is controlled and used to produce electricity and how reactors vary from place to place.
- What is radiation?
- Many people are scared of this strange phenomenon. Like many things, it can be deadly in high quantities, but also benign at low level. This page describes exact nature of radiation and how dangerous it really it.