Nuclear power

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Nuclear Power

Nuclear power (pronunciation: /ˈnjuːklɪər ˈpaʊər/) is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity.

Etymology

The term "nuclear" comes from the Latin nucleus, meaning "core". The term "power" comes from the Latin potere, meaning "to be able". Thus, nuclear power refers to the ability to harness the energy from the core of an atom.

Definition

Nuclear power is a type of power generation that uses the heat produced by nuclear reactions to generate steam, which then drives a turbine to produce electricity. The most common type of nuclear reaction used for power generation is nuclear fission, in which the nucleus of a heavy atom, such as uranium or plutonium, is split into two or more smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy in the process.

Related Terms

  • Nuclear fission: The process by which the nucleus of a heavy atom is split into two or more smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy.
  • Nuclear fusion: The process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy.
  • Radioactive decay: The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.
  • Nuclear reactor: A device used to initiate and control a self-sustained nuclear chain reaction.
  • Radiation: The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles.
  • Uranium: A silvery-white radioactive metallic element, occurring in many isotopes, used as a fuel in nuclear reactors.
  • Plutonium: A transuranic radioactive chemical element with symbol Pu and atomic number 94.

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