Nuclear power

Hattingh, Johan P. (2009)

This was a book and only the chapter was digitized as a PDF by the submitter.

Book Chapter

When the nucleus of an atom is divided or joined to another nucleus, an enormous amount of energy is produced. When these processes of fission (division of the nucleus of an atom) or fusion (joining the nucleus of an atom with another) take place under controlled conditions, this energy can be used to drive turbines that can do work: for example, to propel a large vehicle such as a ship or to generate electricity. These same processes, however, can be adapted to produce weapons with massive destructive power. Non-military uses of nuclear power refer to the generation of energy through a controlled process of fission in a nuclear reactor.

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