Radioatividade Atividade 4

Nuclear Energy,
Radiation, & Radioactivity

Contents
Concept Label, Concept Explanation, & Concept
Image Flashcards for the Following:
• Nuclear Fission
• Nuclear Power Plants: plant diagram & with part functions, actual plant photos,
advantages & disadvantages
• Nuclear Explosions, Bombs, & Accidents (3 Mile Island, Chernobyl, &
Fukushima)
• Nuclear Fusion
• Nuclear Radiation: detailed explanation of alpha particles, beta particles, & gamma
rays
• Radioactivity, Radioisotopes, Radioactive Decay, & Half-Lives (half-
life activity)
• History of Nuclear of Energy
• Nuclear Energy Quiz
5 Class Posters/Worksheets
nuclear energy
• energy inside the nucleus of atoms
• is usually used to create electricity
• there are two ways to get it:
1. nuclear fission
2. nuclear fusion
nuclear fission
• the process of splitting the nucleus of one atom
into two new nuclei in order to release the energy
in the bonds that hold the atom together
• creates two smaller nuclei with smaller masses than
the original atom
• neutrons thrown at an atom start it & cause a
“chain reaction” (it continues)
• produces huge amounts of energy that is usually
turned into electricity
• produces radioactive waste that needs to be stored
for millions of years
• uranium, a naturally occurring radioactive element,
is used as the “fissionable” fuel in nuclear power
plants
nuclear fusion
• the process of combining two nuclei together
to form a larger heavier nucleus of a
different element
• is an exothermic reaction (it creates heat)
• people can create very small ________ reactions
but it is really hard to do & hard to get
energy/electricity from them
• stars like our Sun are naturally fueled by
reactions like this and send energy into the
universe & planets like Earth
energy
_______ ______ is
conducted in nuclear
power plants in order
to create electricity.
• Nuclear fission
In the U.S. nuclear
waste is stored in
____ _____ ____ or
concrete containers
__________.
• spent fuel pools
• underground
advantage(s) of
nuclear power:
• you only need a tiny amount of fuel to
make lots of electricity
(1 uranium pellet creates the same amount of
electricity as 4 oil barrels, 17,000 cubic feet of
natural gas or a ton of coal)
disadvantage(s) of
nuclear power:
• it creates dangerous nuclear waste that
needs to be stored for millions of years
• radiation poisoning from nuclear
accidents can kill thousands of
organisms & leave the environment so
badly damaged that nothing can live
there
three major
nuclear power plant
accidents
• 3 Mile Island
• Chernobyl
• Fukushima
3 Mile Island
• a nuclear accident that happened in
1979 at a nuclear power plant in
Pennsylvania when a reactor
malfunctioned
• it did not kill anybody, but scared lots
of people
• it took $975 million & 14 years to clean
up the radiation
Chernobyl
• a terrible nuclear accident that
happened at a nuclear power plant in the
Ukraine in 1986
• a nuclear reactor exploded, leaking so
much radiation over 200,000 people had
to leave the area & find new homes
• there is still so much radiation left over
that people still cannot live there today
Fukushima
• a terrible nuclear accident that
happened at a nuclear power plant in
Japan in 2011 because of an earthquake
• the earthquake caused equipment
failures at the nuclear power plant;
radiation leaked into the environment &
300,000 people had to leave the area
Because of the destruction &
mass killings of the Hiroshima &
Nagasaki nuclear bombings,
governments around the world
have vowed ______ to use
nuclear bombs against each
other.
• never
X
X
nuclear radiation
• alpha particles, beta particles, or
gamma rays that are released when an
unstable radioactive nucleus decays to
become a stable nucleus
• particles that give off harmful radiation
• alpha particles are least harmful & have
the least penetrating power & gamma
rays are the most harmful & have the
most penetrating power
beta
alpha particle particle
(electron)
beta
particle
(proton)
gamma ray
alpha radiation
• positively charged harmful radiation that is
given off when an unstable radioactive
nucleus decays
• a helium nucleus emitted, or spit out of an
unstable radioactive nucleus
• a slow-moving radiation particle with the
least amount of penetrating power
• the least harmful radiation particle but it
can still harm living things if ingested (eaten
or swallowed)
= ___________
particle
symbol
beta radiation
• positively or negatively charged harmful
radiation that is given off when an unstable
radioactive nucleus decays
• fast-moving electrons, protons, or positrons
formed from the decomposition/breakdown
of a neutron in an atom
• a neutron breaks down into an electron & a
positron (positively charged electron) & gets
emitted, or spit out of the unstable decaying
nucleus
_____
particle
(electron)
____________
= particle
symbol
_____
particle
(proton)
gamma radiation
• very harmful radiation that is given off
when an unstable radioactive nucleus
decays
• does not have a mass or charge
• fastest moving radiation emitted (spit
out) from an unstable decaying nucleus
in the form of a wave
• very harmful radiation with the most
penetrating power
= _________ ______
symbol
fusion
Nuclear Energy Quick Quiz
fission
nuclear power
slowly gains
acceptance Albert Einstein Pierre & Marie
James Chadwick theorized mass Curie discover
discovered the & energy are radioactivity 1st nuclear reactor
neutron & the interchangeable connected to a
general structure power grid providing
of atoms is electricity in
completed Obninsk Russia
Place these events in the correct order

on the timeline on the next page.
Scientists at the
University of
Ernest Chicago create
Rutherford US Atomic Energy WWII the US the 1st controlled
discovered Commission changed drops atomic nuclear chain
different types to the Nuclear bombs on reaction making
of radiation & Regulatory Nagasaki nuclear weapons
transmutation Commission (NRC) & Hiroshima possible
Nice job!

Radioatividade Atividade 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Radioatividade Atividade 4

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Radioatividade Atividade 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Nuclear Energy,

Radiation, & Radioactivity

Nuclear Energy Quick Quiz

Place these events in the correct order

You might also like