How Things Work : How Nuclear Energy Works

Nuclear energy works in much the same way as traditional energy, except it requires less fuel to work and has harmful byproducts. Discover how nuclear energy works from a math and science teacher in this free video on nuclear energy.

Expert: Steve Jones
Contact: www.marlixint.com
Bio: Steve Jones is an experienced mathematics and science teacher.
Filmmaker: Paul Volniansky

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• science
• science facts
• how things work
• nuclear energy
• electricity
• water springs
• renewable resources
• earthquakes
• iron mines

[DarrylDonnithorne]

Who's here because of Japan?

[Multimine]

Uranium is not a fossil fuel, it is non renewable but it does not derive from remains of past life.

[thenuclearfriends]

Commercial and utility plants currently use nuclear fission reactions to heat water to produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity. A nuclear reaction is the process in which two nuclei, or else a nucleus of an atom and a subatomic particle from outside the atom, collide to produce products different from the initial particles. The nucleus is the very dense region consisting of nucleons (protons and neutrons) at the center of an atom.

Watch our Budhiya Video "Ek Tha Budhiya"

[puncheex]

@Jdonovanford: Most conductive metals have 2 electrons in the outermost shell; they.re fairly free to move a round. And, yes, electrons jump from atom to atom, again, loosely held. But they have to have a circuit, even if they're doing the AC jiggle.

[Jdonovanford]

@puncheex Ok, so I think I am getting it. I thought electrons were jumping from one atom to the next, making this one be unbalanced, so one electron must be expulsed from the second atom, and so on. Now you are saying that they don't jump from atom to atom... but they... what do they do instead?

[Jdonovanford]

@puncheex But in the case of a wind turbine, there is no circuitery. It is one end to the other. So how does this work with a wind turbine?

[puncheex]

@bicnarok: Only in extremely small trace amounts, undetectable until they actually started looking for it.

[puncheex]

@Galanty: You're just waiting for it?  I suppose that states your needs. Power producers in the US also like to place their coal plants out in the deserts. Not only does that make them accident safe, it also hides the coal smoke pollution from the populace. So tell us, at the risk of your hate, do you then prefer coal to nuclear?

[puncheex]

@riethc: You mean investment-free energy? The only example I can think of is lying down in the ground and soaking up a few rays No one thought to put electrical plugs in tree trunks. Even if your investment is as small as the cost of and axe, you have to do something.

[puncheex]

@dsanzo: Well, OK, it's an unusual design, but he's not talking about real designs anyway. His drawing is just a schematic to just begin understanding the essentials. Look up nuclear reactor in wiki; there's no diagrams there, but follow the links to specific kinds of reactors and you'll find what you seek.

[puncheex]

@Jdonovanford: Without a circuit, electrons don't move, with exceptions when voltages change rapidly enough to actually accumulate charges temporarily.

[puncheex]

@viewervideo011242234: See above.