Nuclear

Question 1

What is the equation which Einstein is famous for and on which nuclear energy is based?

Answer 1

E=mc2

Question 2

Why do you think Einstein considered the equation a huge mistake in years to come?

Answer 2

It caused harm and lead to mass destruction and loss of life

Question 3

What element provides the fuel for a nuclear bomb

Answer 3

Uranium

Question 4

Where did Einstein flee and why

Answer 4

He fled from Nazi Germany because he was of Jewish origin and didn’t want to be forced to work for the Nazis

Question 5

Where did Einstein spend most of his life working

Answer 5

New York

Question 6

Who came to visit Einstein in New York and why

Answer 6

Leo Szilard came to persuade Einstein to write to the us government encouraging them to develop a nuclear bomb as he was concerned the Germans were already developing one

Question 7

When and who did Einstein write the letter to

Answer 7

The us president Rosevelt and he wrote on the eve of the Second World War -1939

Question 8

Which 2 ideas does Einsteins equation connect together

Answer 8

Mass and energy

Question 9

Why does such a small amount of mass become so much energy in the equation E=mc2

Answer 9

c2 is the speed of light squared which a huge number that multiplied mass greatly creating huge amounts of energy

Question 10

When did Einstein publish his famous equation

Answer 10

1905

Question 11

What is the nuclear fuel in the sun

Answer 11

Hydrogen (nuclear fusion)

Question 12

What is Einsteins famous quote about the likelihood of an atomic bomb

Answer 12

Shooting birds in the dark in a country with very little birds

Question 13

Where did Leo study

Answer 13

Berlin

Question 14

What did Einstein believe before Leo convinced the atomic bomb was a possibility

Answer 14

That multiple simultaneous equations were required for it to work

Question 15

What was the problem with nuclear fission that lead to a paradox obtaining energy from nuclear sources

Answer 15

More energy was going in than coming out

Question 16

What was the problem with scientists using alpha particles to split uranium atoms

Answer 16

Alpha had a positive charge and therefore repelled

Question 17

What did Leo, realise might work better for atomic bomb

Answer 17

The neutron would be a better bullet to split the uranium atom and 3 neutrons released after fission should establish a chain reaction

Question 18

What did a German colleague tell Leo and what did Germany do in response(1938)

Answer 18

The German colleague told Leo that they had achieved fission and Germany began to stockpile uranium and set up a bomb programme in response

Question 19

What did Einstein believe about scientists and the military

Answer 19

He was a pacifist and believed they shouldn’t mix

Question 20

Where did Leo and with who did he prove a chain reaction was possible

Answer 20

Colombia university and with Fermi

Question 21

What did Einstein name Leo’s chain reaction

Answer 21

Multiple neutron reaction

Question 22

Why did Leo go to Einstein to write the letter and how long did they work at it

Answer 22

He went to Einstein because he was well respected and known and would influence the president better. It took 8 weeks for the letter to reach the president

Question 23

What did they call the largest collaboration between scientists and the military and how much was spent on it?

Answer 23

It was called the manhattan project and cost 2.2 billion dollars (around 40-50 million now a days)

Question 24

What happened that everyone thought would change the bomb development and why did it not

Answer 24

The Nazis surrendered so everyone thought that the bomb development would end but it didn’t because Japan war was still ongoing

Question 25

On which city was the first atomic bomb dropped and when

Answer 25

Hiroshima on the 6th august 1945

Question 26

How long did the first atomic bomb fall first and how much mass was converted to energy

Answer 26

It fell for 43 seconds and 0.6g was converted

Question 27

How many people died immediately after the bomb and how many died following the bomb

Answer 27

70,000 died immediately and a further 70,000 died of radiation sickness or fire

Question 28

Why did Einstein believ the letter was a mistake

Answer 28

As the Germans didn’t succeed, he felt responsible for the rare endangering of civilisation

Question 29

What’s the other side of Einstein’s equation and what do we call this

Answer 29

Energy can condense back to mass and this is known as the Big Bang

Question 30

What is fission

Answer 30

Fission is a process in which a nucleus with a large mass number splits into two nuclei, which have smaller mass numbers.

Question 31

What is usually released when fission happens

Answer 31

Neutrons

Question 32

How does fission occur

Answer 32

-Fission of a nucleus may be spontaneous, that is, it may happen at random due to internal processes within the nucleus. - Fission can also be induced by bombarding a nucleus with a neutron. Induced fission is used to generate nuclear power and for weapons.

Question 33

What happens the products formed in fission

Answer 33

􏰃 The products formed during fission gain kinetic energy. It is this energy that is harnessed in nuclear power stations.

Question 34

What are the steps of fission

Answer 34

A neutron hits a uranium nucleus which causes the uranium nucleus to split into smaller nuclei and some more neutrons which then hit more uranium nucleus leading to the chain reaction

Question 35

What is fusion

Answer 35

Fusion is a process in which two nuclei combine to form a nucleus of larger mass number.

Question 36

What do we know about fusion

Answer 36

Fusion is the main nuclear process that occurs in the Sun and other stars. The products of fusion reactions also gain kinetic energy that can be harnessed.

Question 37

What does E=mc2 show

Answer 37

That mass and energy are equivalent

Question 38

What do the letters of E=mc2 represent

Answer 38

E = energy in joules m = mass in kilograms c = the speed of light (300,000,000 m/s)

Question 39

What are the similarities of fission and fusion

Answer 39

Both: -produce a large amount of energy -produce nuclear waste (moreso fission) -convert mass to energy in their process

Question 40

What are the differences between fission and fusion

Answer 40

Fission= -large atom splits into two lighter nuclei -is a chain reaction WHERAS fusion= -light nuclei join/fuse to form a heavier nuclei -requires very high temperature

Question 41

Explain fission in simple terms

Answer 41

A neutron hits a uranium nucleus causing it to become an unstable isotope and force it split to become stable producing 2 nuclei and released h a great amount of energy as well as 3 neutrons which then go on to break more uranium nucleuses leading to a chain reaction. This reaction involves kinetic and heat energy

Question 42

Explain fusion in simple terms

Answer 42

Powers are stars. 2 hydrogen atoms combine to form helium atom and one neutron. Requires insane amount of heat to drive the 2 positive hydrogen isotopes together. It’s dangerous and produces a lot radioactive waste. However it produces 4x the energy of fission and is much cleaner with both atoms easy to access.

Question 43

What’s the problem with fusion

Answer 43

We currently can’t sustain it and is very hard to contain with it needing such high temperatures. We currently still putting more energy in that we are getting out

Question 44

Control rods

Answer 44

Controls the rate of fission by absorbing excess neutrons

Question 45

Graphite moderator

Answer 45

Slow neutrons to ensure they are slow enough to cause fission

Question 46

Fuel rods

Answer 46

Contain uranium fuel for fission

Question 47

Concrete casing/pressure vessel

Answer 47

Designed to prevent radioactive waste/gases escaping

Question 48

What is the energy change in a nuclear power station

Answer 48

Nuclear -> heat -> kinetic -> electric

Question 49

Why does a fossil fuel power station require a stack but a nuclear one not

Answer 49

A stack is needed to remove harmful deposits from combustion smoke which a nuclear station doesn’t produce

Question 50

What are 2 benefits if generating electricity in nuclear and fossil fuel power stations

Answer 50

Both are highly efficient and well understood processes

Question 51

What are 2 disadvantages if generating electricity in nuclear and fossil fuel power stations

Answer 51

Fossil fuels= CO2 emissions cause global warming, fossil fuels will eventually run out Nuclear =risk of a meltdown, radioactive waste is harmful so needs to be stored first long periods of time

Question 52

Chain reaction

Answer 52

A reaction whose products go on to include further reactions. For example, in the case of nuclear fission three neutrons are released by every fission reaction which can then create further fissions

Question 53

Chernobyl

Answer 53

On 26th April 1986, Chernobyl’s reactor 4 melted down during a safety test. The accident was caused by a design flaw and protocol breach. 42 died immediately; thousands may have died later from long-term radiation effects.

Question 54

Fukushima

Answer 54

On 11th March 2011, a nuclear disaster occurred after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Seawater flooded emergency generators, stopping coolant flow and causing a meltdown. One cancer death was linked to radiation; others were injured by hydrogen explosions.

Question 55

Sellafeild

Answer 55

On 10th October 1957, a fire at Windscale caused radioactive contamination across the UK and Europe. Iodine-131 released was linked to increased thyroid cancer risk. No immediate deaths, but around 240 additional cancer cases are estimated.