What are some examples of nuclear energy.?

Question

What type of things does nuclear energy power. I know that it helps doctors treat cancer but how? what machines use nuclear energy?

Answer 1

Nuclear energy is the heat energy that is released when an unstable atom disintigrates and releases gamma radiation , protons and neutrons from its nucleus. In a rod of uranium atoms are dissintigradting all the time, if there are enough rods close enough together, then the pasrticles flying around cause more atoms to disintigrate and so on. This is the nuclear chain reaction. A nuclear reactor keeps this chain reaction from goin out of control by dampening the radiation between the rods. but it allows enough chain reaction to create a lot of heat energy, which is taken away by liquids or gas, the gas or liquid then heats water, which turns to steam and then drives turbines which make electricity.

Answer 2

Great question, because the atom is your friend!

Nuclear reactors.

Nuclear bombs.

Batteries for deep space missions (plutonium/thermocouple)

Luminous dials on watches.

(Radioisotopes are used in medicine, but they don't "power" any machine.  It is just the penetrating radiation that is used.)

Answer 3

Cancer treatment uses gamma rays, from either cobalt-60 or cesium-131 (both of which are made in nuclear reactors).  The gamma rays ionize matter and break chemical bonds, which kills cells (including cancer cells).

Nuclear power is produced by a controlled fission reaction.  This releases energy as neutrons, gamma rays and high-speed nuclear fragments which are all rapidly transformed into heat.  This heat is usually used to boil water, which drives a steam turbine.  (There are some new designs which are intended to use gas turbines instead of steam turbines; these will work with helium-cooled reactors rather than water-cooled reactors.)

There are also RTGs (Radioisotope Thermal Generators) which supply power for deep-space probes.  These use a radioactive material (e.g. Plutonium 238) which releases few gamma rays (which would interfere with the spacecraft instruments) but makes a lot of heat; this heat is used to make electricity using Peltier junction devices (like CPU coolers but in reverse).  This provides a power source with no moving parts and an energy supply which lasts for decades.

Answer 4

have to abree with n. 1 and 2 and think it will be the energy of the future. If we hurry.