The General public is typically fearful of nuclear science. These fears are not founded on reliable information or scientific fact.
It is vital we grow our knowledge in nuclear science to help with nuclear energy, medicine and agriculture. However, this growth is restricted as the general public is fearful of nuclear science. This fear is from past negative experiences with nuclear science, mainly weaponry and energy. Such as Chernobyl and 3-mile island, where nuclear reactors melted down. However, these incidents were a few decades ago and nuclear technology has significantly advanced to stop this from occurring in future plants. Social factors influencing this development of nuclear science are safety, environment, sustainability and efficiency. Technological factors influencing development include the growth in technology but also the limit.
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By improving our knowledge of nuclear science, we will be able to improve medicine, energy, industry, agriculture and a lot more. Through answering the research question “is nuclear energy a blessing or curse to modern society?” we will be able to ensure to the public that nuclear energy is a safe and efficient way of powering nations.
Research question
Is nuclear energy a blessing to modern educated society?
Background
Nuclear science is the study of sub-atomic particles. It is referred to as “Nuclear science” after the nucleus of an atom Shown in figure 1.4. Nuclear science is essential to make us aware of our world, ourselves and how stuff works at the atomic level. If we can understand how atoms come together and interact, we can improve our knowledge and efficiency of medicine, industry, energy, weapons and agriculture. Electricity is important in the life of almost every human. It has been used for hundreds of years to do many incredible things. new ways to get electricity other than from coal burning must be found as it is insufficient and not effective. Therefore, it is important to know if nuclear energy is safe and efficient for society.
Radioactive decay takes place in unstable atomic nuclei. These nuclei don’t have ample strength to keep the nucleus intact as of an excess of protons or neutrons. It comes in three types which are alpha, beta and gamma. Alpha particles are composite particles built from two protons and two neutrons tightly constructed together. they are discharged from the nucleus during a type of radioactive decay referred to as alpha-decay. Alpha particles can be used in smoke detectors and static eliminators. Beta particles are electrons or positrons with a lot of electrical energy that are ejected from the nucleus during a form of radioactive decay referred to as beta-decay. Beta-decay generally takes place in nuclei that have too many neutrons to obtain stability. Beta particles can be used in treating eye and bone cancer. A gamma ray is a photon emitted via the nucleus after radioactive decay. Gamma photons are the liveliest photons in the electromagnetic scale. They can be used in sterilising medical equipment, industrial radiology, smoke detectors and a lot more.
Analysis and interpretation
First of all, nuclear power is a blessing to modern society due to how much more efficient it is compared to that of fossil fuels, solar energy, hydro energy and wind power. The fundamental advantages of nuclear power are that is it more efficient than burning fossil fuels as the amount of energy released from uranium per gram is significantly higher than that of fuels such as coal; which is the current main energy source. In fact, it is roughly 8,000 times more efficient. As seen in figure 1.1 we can see the capacity factor for generators. Nuclear power sits at 92.6% whereas coal sits at 54%. This means to create 1 gigawatt of power nuclear plants will only need one whereas coal would need 2 or 3 plants to get the same amount of power. Making nuclear plants a lot more efficient. Nuclear energy production requires little maintenance and work allowing it to stay up almost all year round. Nuclear power is better than Renewable energy sources simply because the sun isn’t always shining, its not always windy and water isn’t always flowing through the damn. This makes it hard to power large cities with renewable energy sources. Along with this they take up a lot of space and money. Overall nuclear power is a blessing to modern society due to its efficiency.
Along with being a more efficient way of getting energy nuclear power is a lot more environmentally friendly and safe. Minimal greenhouse gases are a huge factor in our energy nowadays and nuclear power can help us fix it. As seen in Figure 1.3 nuclear energy emits the least amount of greenhouse gases next to wind electricity. Despite many people not knowing this, nuclear energy is the safest energy production method as it releases less radiation than any other major energy source. While destruction of nuclear powerplants is extremely dangerous it is also quite rare. Incidents such as Chernobyl and 3-mile island have occurred, however engineers have learnt from these and increased the safety to prevent this from occurring again. Uranium is one of the most abundant resources on earth. Along with this it can be re-used to get the maximum amount of energy out of it making it a very reliable source to power nations for centuries. In conclusion nuclear energy is safe and environmentally friendly making it a blessing to modern society
Conclusion
Is Nuclear energy a blessing to modern educated society? Evidence that nuclear energy is a blessing is that it is a lot more efficient, safe and environmentally friendly than other ways of producing energy. These are just the first of many reasons as to why nuclear energy is a blessing. Other evidence is economics, waste management, compact and reliability. Overall growing our knowledge in nuclear science would hugely benefit the lives of future modern society in areas such as agriculture, industry, medical and energy.
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