Over the last two days I had a pleasant exchange with a 7th grader from California who wanted to know more about nuclear energy for a school project.
He asked me about a dozen questions on nuclear power and I answered them. It was instructive to realize how I needed to formulate my own words to make sure my responses were simple, brief and intelligible to an intelligent middle schooler. Although a few big words have inevitably crept in I think I have kept the majority of answers simple and straightforward; it was certainly a fun thing to do.
One thing that struck me was how cogent and clear the questions are. They are certainly a testament to the thoughtful consideration which my correspondent and his parents have given to the topic. But it also struck me that they are exactly the kinds of questions which curious laymen who know little about nuclear power may ask (another one of those instances where an intelligent 7th grader is quite a match for an intelligent adult layman). So I added a few of my own and answered them too. I think cases like these where you are constrained to give short and simple answers to scientific questions are not only a good exercise in improving your own understanding of topics but are also a good resource for public education. As Niels Bohr used to say, whatever you want to explain you should be able to explain using plain language.
I do hope that more middle schoolers consider science and engineering careers in energy in general and nuclear energy in particular; responsible future citizens who tackle the energy crisis head on are crucial to this country’s development . Here are the questions and answers, in no particular order.
What are reasons that prove nuclear energy is not the best alternative to replace fossil fuel?
A: Nuclear energy is actually a pretty good replacement for fossil fuels. It emits very little CO2 and other pollutants and provides a lot of energy from a very small amount of fuel. It also generates a very small amount of waste. Compared to this, coal and oil produce a lot of air pollution and waste and you also need a lot of them to generate electricity.
Despite the low cost of running a nuclear power plant, will the expensive cost of making the nuclear power plants make people think about not funding for the nuclear power plants? Why?
A: The expensive cost of nuclear power plants comes from the very long time that is needed to build them; one reason they take so much time to build is because you want to ensure that they are safe, which is a good thing. However there are new power plant designs which promise to shorten this time and reduce the expense. There is especially a new and exciting reactor called the “small modular reactor” which is small and quickly built. In addition you have to balance the cost of power plants against the cost of electricity from them (which is quite low), the small amount of pollution that they cause and the other benefits which they provide over fossil fuels.
The Latest Bing News on:
Nuclear power
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Friday that Russia's capture of a major nuclear power plant threatened a radiation catastrophe, as the country marked the anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
- German greens accused of lying over nuclear power safety to force plant shutdownson April 26, 2024 at 4:48 am
Green party ministers in Germany have been accused of lying about safety issues at the country’s nuclear power plants to ensure they were shut down, even as the war in Ukraine threatened European energy supplies.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Nuclear power
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The Latest Bing News on:
Nuclear energy
- Schneider partners with nuclear company Terrestrial Energy to commercialize small reactorson April 26, 2024 at 9:20 am
Nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) company Terrestrial Energy is teaming up with Schneider Electric. Canada-based Terrestrial is developing a 190MWe Integral Molten Salt Reactor (ISMR). The companies ...
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IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visits the Energy and Health Campus in Petten, Netherlands where the construction of a new reactor to produce medical isotopes is underway.
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Thirty-eight years after the Chornobyl disaster, Ukraine’s nuclear industry continues to produce around half of Ukraine’s power output and remains vital to keeping the country functioning. The share ...
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Like with other tech that exposed humanity to possible annihilation, a Pugwash conference for AI scientists is urgently needed.
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The United Arab Emirates will tender shortly for the construction of a new nuclear power plant that would double the number of the small Gulf state's nuclear reactors, three sources familiar with the ...
- German greens accused of lying over nuclear power safety to force plant shutdownson April 26, 2024 at 4:48 am
Green party ministers in Germany have been accused of lying about safety issues at the country’s nuclear power plants to ensure they were shut down, even as the war in Ukraine threatened European ...
- Expert: Nuclear energy could help decarbonize electricity sectoron April 25, 2024 at 7:10 am
You can’t have electricity the way we know it – highly reliable and always available – if you only have these intermittent renewables," Edward Kee, CEO and founder of the Nuclear Economics Consulting ...
- US and Russia are vying to build Ghana’s nuclear energy planton April 25, 2024 at 5:51 am
The United States and Russia are locked in a race against China, France, and South Korea to build the first nuclear power plant in Ghana.
- China to revise atomic energy law to promote nuclear power development, Xinhua sayson April 22, 2024 at 9:57 pm
China will revise its atomic energy law to promote the safe development of nuclear power, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.
- Iranian 'nuclear energy mountain' is 'fully safe' after Israeli strike: state mediaon April 19, 2024 at 5:47 am
The Israeli Defense Force launched strikes into the the Iranian region of Isfahan, home to multiple nuclear reactors and enrichment centers, but did not damage the facilities.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Nuclear energy
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