Nuclear Energy Is Worth It - 1663 Words

Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.† Albert Einstein is well known for his involvement in nuclear fission with his famous equation, e=mc2. This has led to the development of nuclear energy, an amazing source of energy with some potentially lethal side effects. But is nuclear energy worth it? I’m here today to tell you that yes, nuclear energy is worth it, and to discuss how it can benefit society as a whole. We will begin with how nuclear energy came about, and how it compares to fossil fuels, the most predominant form of energy production. Then, we will move on to discuss some of the main issues that people have with nuclear energy, before, finally, we†¦show more content†¦She used Einstein’s theory to show how lost mass could change into energy, and thus, proved fission occurred and confirmed Einstein’s work. 1b/process. â€Å"How do we harvest t his lost energy,† you might be wondering? Well, nuclear energy receives its power from the fission, or splitting, of atoms in very dense radioactive metals. Once one atom is split, the halves separate into 2 or more less dense atoms, and remaining neutrons can be shot out at high velocities. If these neutrons slam into another atom and are captured by it, that atom has a chance that it too will undergo fission. This cycle of splitting atoms is a chain reaction. Nuclear fission requires power to start the chain reaction, and it needs a certain amount of Uranium, called a critical mass, before this chain reaction can support itself and create excess energy. This excess energy is released as heat, usually into water. This changes the water into steam and is used to turn turbines to produce electricity. According to an article written by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the first successful attempt at a self-sustaining nuclear reactor was on December 2nd, 1942. 1c/comparison. Alright, no w we have an understanding about how nuclear fission occurs and how we harvest its energy, but how does this process compare to other existing forms of energy? According to an article written by Green World Investor on July 7th, 2011, the fission of Uranium-235 has an energy density slightly