Nuclear Physics

The control rods absorb the nuetrons which keeps the reaction rate relatively constant (rather than letting it grow exponentially). They create a situation where roughly one neutron per fission goes on to split another atom.

Moderators slow down the neutrons. Fast neutrons are more inclined to bounce/deflect off of the surface of a nucleus so slower neutrons actually lead to a greater number of succesful fissions i.e. moderators don't slow the reaction down, they just help it to take place.

The discovery of the electron by J.J. Thomson led to the development of the plum pudding model, where electrons were embedded in a positively charged sphere. This model improved the accuracy of the atom by incorporating subatomic particles.

Decay ratio in instrumentation refers to the rate at which a system's response decreases after reaching its peak value. It is commonly used in control theory to assess the stability of a control system. A higher decay ratio indicates faster settling time and improved stability.

Ionizing radiation includes alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. These forms of radiation have enough energy to remove tightly bound electrons from atoms and molecules, resulting in the formation of ions.

This is going to be a big number! Each fission releases 200 MeV, and 1 MeV = 1.6 X 10-13 Joules, so 1 fission = 3.2 x 10-11 Joules. Now if the thermal power produced by the reactor is 3000 MW (corresponding to an electrical output of 1000 MW) this means 3000 x 106 Joules per second, or 3 x 109 Joules /sec. So the number of fissions/sec in the reactor is 3 x 109 divided by 3.2 x 10-11 , so if we call 3/3.2 = unity, for simplicity, the number of fissions per second is 1020. I said it would be big!

Reactor physicists use a number called the neutron flux to describe the intensity of the nuclear fission process, this is the number of neutrons crossing an area of 1 sq cm per second. This number helps to define the fuel rating and effects on reactor components in the active core. Obviously the total number of fissions occurring in the reactor overall per second depends on this and the size of the reactor.

Potassium-40 (K-40) is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope found in small amounts in the human body due to the food we eat. The low levels of radiation from K-40 in the body are not harmful and do not typically cause internal damage. The body has mechanisms to regulate and handle the radiation exposure from K-40.

Consciousness though a real phenomenon little is knows about its physical particulars. It seems to be related to the complexity of brain actions. It also seems to require a biological brain to have consciousness and thereby it has mass and energy. "Pure consciousness" is a science fiction concept implying awareness without physical structure. As far as it is understood such a phenomenon is not possible.

An alpha particle has approximately 4 times the mass of a proton.

No, the designations of hydrogen for the proton and neutron for the neutron do not imply that these two particles are of equal mass. A proton is about 1836 times heavier than a neutron. The terms "hydrogen" and "neutron" were historically used to describe these particles based on their properties and roles in atomic structure, rather than their masses.

No, Cherenkov radiation is not always associated with radioactivity. It can also be produced by high-energy charged particles traveling faster than the speed of light in a medium such as water or air.

Entangled subatomic particles do not involve conveying information faster than light because the act of measuring one particle's state instantaneously determines the state of the other particle, regardless of the distance between them. This correlation is a result of the shared quantum state between the particles at the time of entanglement, not a form of communication. The information remains random and cannot be controlled to send a message.

The half-life of most radioactive isotopes ranges from fractions of a second to billions of years. Some common radioactive isotopes, like carbon-14 and uranium-238, have half-lives of thousands to millions of years, while others, like iodine-131, have half-lives of only days or even seconds.

226 Ra 88 ---> 225 Ac 89 +W boson

W boson ---> e- + neutron

Atomic and nuclear physics study the interactions and properties of atoms and their nuclei, which are the building blocks of matter. This field explores phenomena like radioactive decay, nuclear reactions, and energy production. Understanding atomic and nuclear physics has led to advancements in technology, such as nuclear power plants and medical imaging techniques like PET scans.

Yes, gluons are particles that mediate the strong force between quarks, which are the building blocks of protons and neutrons. Gluons are bosons and are responsible for holding quarks together within atomic nuclei.

When a nucleus is unstable it has either too many or too few neutrons in the nucleus. This is what causes nuclear decay as the nucleus needs to have the correct ratio of neutrons to protons to be stable.

It may be triggered by an outside force, such as a colliding particle, or simply by chance.

If you touch radioactive material, you may suffer from radiation exposure, which can lead to skin burns, radiation sickness, and an increased risk of developing cancer. It is important to seek medical attention immediately and follow proper decontamination procedures to minimize the health risks.

Sir James Chadwick is credited with the discovery of the neutron in 1932. His experiments on the collisions of alpha particles with beryllium led to the identification of the neutron as a fundamental particle found in the nucleus of atoms.

The first nucleosynthesis is thought to have occurred shortly after the Big Bang, where simple elements like hydrogen and helium were formed. This initial phase of nucleosynthesis laid the foundation for the creation of more complex elements in stars and supernovae over time.

Actually, it was two students of Rutherford who made this discovery. Ernest Marsden, and Hans Geiger, both of whom went on to better things later in life. For their experiments, they had to sit in a darkened room till their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and the they fired their particles at a gold foil, their target. The diffraction was recorded on the far side when the particles hit a ZnS screen, which fluoresced briefly. It was their idea to erect the detector screen towards the near side of the target, and observed the reflected particles. It was a few weeks before Rutherford actually saw their results, and was amazed by what he saw. As to the numbers, that merely came out of the mass of data.

C in the context of an atom bomb equation typically refers to the speed of light (approximately 3.00 x 10^8 m/s). This constant is crucial in the equation E=mc^2 formulated by Albert Einstein to explain the relationship between mass and energy. In the context of an atom bomb, this equation helps to calculate the immense amount of energy released during a nuclear explosion.

After one half-life, half of the original radioactive atoms will decay, leaving 600 atoms. After a second half-life, another half of the remaining atoms will decay, leaving 300 atoms that have disintegrated out of the original 1200 atoms.