1. Nuclear Energy Britney Chance Dusty Ely Roland 8 th Grade Science Mrs. Miller

2. What is Nuclear Energy? Nuclear Energy is the energy that is directly released from the atomic nucleus. The conversion of nuclear mass to energy is consistent with the mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc², in which E = energy, m = mass defect, and c = the speed of light in a vacuum.

3. -The Earth has limited supplies of coal and oil. Nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become scarce. -Nuclear power plants need less fuel than ones which burn fossil fuels. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil. -Coal and oil burning plants pollute the air. Well-operated nuclear power plants do not release contaminants into the environment Advantages of Nuclear Energy

4. -Nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear radiation harms the cells of the body which can make people sick or even kill them. -Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems. Reactors produce nuclear waste products which emit dangerous radiation. Because they could kill people who touch them, they cannot be thrown away like ordinary garbage. Currently, many nuclear wastes are stored in special cooling pools at the nuclear reactors. -Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years. Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

5. Nuclear Fission: In nuclear fission, the nuclei of atoms are split, causing energy to be released.. The element uranium is the main fuel used to undergo nuclear fission to produce energy since it has many favorable properties. Uranium nuclei can be easily split by shooting neutrons at them. Also, once a uranium nucleus is split, multiple neutrons are released which are used to split other uranium nuclei. This phenomenon is known as a chain reaction.

6. Nuclear Fusion: In nuclear fusion, the nuclei of atoms are joined together, or fused. This happens only under very hot conditions. The Sun creates heat and light through nuclear fusion. In the Sun, hydrogen nuclei fuse to make helium.

7. Facts about Nuclear Energy In France, for instance, about 75 percent of electricity is generated from nuclear power. Worldwide, it provides 17% of our energy. The US has not brought a new plant online since 1996 yet Nuclear Energy still generates 788.6 billion kilowatt-hours yearly – almost 20% of the US total – accident free.