Research On Nuclear Energy
M.Alwareh
Victoria International School of Sharjah
14 November 2023
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................................... 1
TABLE OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 2
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE .............................................................................................................................. 2
NUCLEAR FISSION ............................................................................................................................................. 4
FISSION VS FUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 5
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FISSION ................................................................................................. 5
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FUSION ................................................................................................. 6
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND BREAKTHROUGH’S ............................................................................................... 6
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Table of Figures
FIGURE 1 ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
FIGURE 2 ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
FIGURE 3 ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
FIGURE 4 ............................................................................................................................................................ 4
FIGURE 5 ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
FIGURE 6 ............................................................................................................................................................ 6
FIGURE 7 ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
1
, Introduction
Energy consumption is an important component of human civilization in today’s world and is
necessary for every operation on the planet. There will always be a need for more energy due to
population growth, therefore finding more sustainable and efficient sources is essential. Fossil
fuels, such as coal, gas, and oil, are efficient sources but burning fossil fuels releases harmful
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which causes global warming, Thanks to scientific innovation,
we can now limit the effects of climate change, solve the global energy issue, and lessen our
reliance on fossil fuels.
Figure 1 (Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, n.d.)
Bckground Knowledge
Nuclear energy is the energy released in significant amounts through processes that affect the
nuclei of an atom (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). The history of nuclear energy
began with essential scientific discoveries that occurred centuries ago. Firstly, the theory
developed by ancient Greek philosophers stated that all matter is made up of invisible particles
known as atoms. The roots of the word atom come from the Greek word atomos, meaning
indivisible. In the year 1905, the well-known German-born physicist Albert Einstein developed
his theory that involves the relationship between mass and energy, stating that “energy equals mass
times the speed of light," which helped explain the energy released in nuclear reactions.
In 1911, Earnest Rutherford, also known as the father of nuclear science due to his discovery of
the atomic structure, conducted the gold foil experiment. In the experiment, Rutherford bombarded
a thin sheet of gold foil with alpha particles. He found that most alpha particles penetrated through
2
M.Alwareh
Victoria International School of Sharjah
14 November 2023
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................................... 1
TABLE OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 2
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE .............................................................................................................................. 2
NUCLEAR FISSION ............................................................................................................................................. 4
FISSION VS FUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 5
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FISSION ................................................................................................. 5
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FUSION ................................................................................................. 6
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND BREAKTHROUGH’S ............................................................................................... 6
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Table of Figures
FIGURE 1 ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
FIGURE 2 ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
FIGURE 3 ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
FIGURE 4 ............................................................................................................................................................ 4
FIGURE 5 ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
FIGURE 6 ............................................................................................................................................................ 6
FIGURE 7 ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
1
, Introduction
Energy consumption is an important component of human civilization in today’s world and is
necessary for every operation on the planet. There will always be a need for more energy due to
population growth, therefore finding more sustainable and efficient sources is essential. Fossil
fuels, such as coal, gas, and oil, are efficient sources but burning fossil fuels releases harmful
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which causes global warming, Thanks to scientific innovation,
we can now limit the effects of climate change, solve the global energy issue, and lessen our
reliance on fossil fuels.
Figure 1 (Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, n.d.)
Bckground Knowledge
Nuclear energy is the energy released in significant amounts through processes that affect the
nuclei of an atom (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). The history of nuclear energy
began with essential scientific discoveries that occurred centuries ago. Firstly, the theory
developed by ancient Greek philosophers stated that all matter is made up of invisible particles
known as atoms. The roots of the word atom come from the Greek word atomos, meaning
indivisible. In the year 1905, the well-known German-born physicist Albert Einstein developed
his theory that involves the relationship between mass and energy, stating that “energy equals mass
times the speed of light," which helped explain the energy released in nuclear reactions.
In 1911, Earnest Rutherford, also known as the father of nuclear science due to his discovery of
the atomic structure, conducted the gold foil experiment. In the experiment, Rutherford bombarded
a thin sheet of gold foil with alpha particles. He found that most alpha particles penetrated through
2
