Physics Flashcards
What is alpha radiation?
A helium nucleus. Charged 2+
Nuclear safety
Short exposure times.
Monitor with reactive film.
Label sources.
Store sources.
Protective clothing.
Use non human methods.
How is beta used?
Monitoring thickness of paper.
Thicker paper less beta.
What is beta minus?
Nuteron into proton, emits beta particle
What is beta plus?
Proton into nuteron. Emits positron
What is nuclear fusion?
Two atoms are fused together. Like duterium and tritium to create a helium and a nucleus
What is fission
A nuteron hits a nucleus, this nucleus then splits releasing two to three nuterons itself, this causes a chain reaction.
What are regulating rods for?
Slow nuterons so they are absorbed
What are fuel rods for?
Putting uranium in hole
What are control rods for?
Boron, absorb nuterons.
Nuclear chain reaction
Atom splits, nuteron release, nuterons hit other. Other give of more. More hit other.
Why use a nuclear moderator?
Neutrons too fast.
What happens if nuteron is too fast
Cannot be absorbed
Why use control rod?
Boron absorb nuteron. Cancel reaction.
What’s decay?
Radiation emitted holds energy.
Why nuclear stations difficult
Hard to decommission
Lotsa waste
Nuclear energy, why it good.
Not fossil fuels: not co2 not global warming, not death or pollute.
Big energy dense for small packet.
Reliable.
Quick
High risk, hard to go wrong.
Nuclear: why bad?
Risk of accident.
Fuel turns to waste. Long half life.
Expensive decommissioning.
Nuclear waste management
Spent rods sent to reprocessing
Extracts usable elements but many are unusable.
