Nuclear Energy

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Nuclear Energy

• Energy From Atoms
• Mr. Matthew Rodman
• Science
• Patria Mirabal Middle School (MS 324)
• New York City, New York, USA

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Focus

• What are the factors that make nuclear energy an
  important energy source?
• What problems will the continued use of nuclear
  energy cause?

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Nuclear Energy

• Unlike other sources of energy, nuclear energy
  comes from the nucleus (radioactivity).
• It does not break chemical bonds and does not
  produce any pollution.
• Nuclear energy uses uranium as its fuel source.

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Nuclear Energy

• Uranium releases a neutron, which hits another
  atom of uranium.
• This makes the nucleus of the atom break,
  releasing energy.
• This causes a chain reaction and huge amounts of
  energy are released.

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Benefits of Nuclear Energy

• Produces huge amounts of energy
• Technology already exists
• Efficient
• Clean (no pollution)
• Does not contribute to the greenhouse effect

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Environmental Impact of Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear energy requires uranium to be mined,
  which can damage the environment.
• Nuclear energy produces nuclear waste.
• If not carefully controlled, nuclear reactors can
  get too hot an cause a nuclear explosion.

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Environmental Impact of Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear explosions release radioactive waste,
  which can cause cancer and make land
  uninhabitable for thousands of years.
• This is called a meltdown, because the uranium
  gets so hot that it melts through the surface of
  the reactor and explodes.

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N.I.M.B.Y.

• N(ot)
• I(n)
• M(y)
• B(ack)
• Y(ard)

• People do not feel safe around nuclear power
  plants.
• Nuclear power looks good in theory, but people
  are worried about having plants near them.
• New York City is only a few miles south of a very
  old nuclear power plant.

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Review

1. What are two benefits of nuclear energy?
2. What are two drawbacks of nuclear energy?
3. Why is nuclear energy not more popular?
4. What does N.I.M.B.Y. stand for?

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Questions

• EXPLAIN How does nuclear energy work?
• COMPARE How the way nuclear energy produces
  electricity different from the way other energy
  resources do? How is it similar?
• APPLY How would you argue in favor of the
  building of a nuclear power plant?