Dear SEP Families,
In Session 3, we began by talking about the fundamental science of nuclear interactions including atomic structure, fission chain reactions, and radiation. We then apply these concepts to understand the technology and history of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Students were particularly fascinated by the development of nuclear weapons and had many questions about their effects and how this impacted the arms race. During our discussion of nuclear power, the students were interested in understanding the nuclear accidents, particularly the catastrophe at Chernobyl and its consequences.
The favorite activity of this class was the mousetrap chain reaction "reactor" that we built using mousetraps and ping-pong balls. The students enjoyed putting this together (mousetraps can be quite suspenseful) and setting it off. We use the mousetrap reactor to discuss chain reactions and how different reactor parameters, such as the density of fission targets, neutron leakage, and neutron absorption, impact the functioning of nuclear systems, be they reactors or bombs. The students readily drew conclusions from our simple mousetrap model and were able to apply these conclusions to nuclear systems later in the course when we talked about nuclear reactors and weapons.
The students were more challenged when we talked about the politics of nuclear weapons. I developed a negotiation activity where students played the role of fictional nations and attempt to craft a non-proliferation policy. Students struggled with how to proceed with this open-ended task, although they appropriately considered transparency a necessary condition for the reduction of nuclear arsenals.
In Session 3, we began by talking about the fundamental science of nuclear interactions including atomic structure, fission chain reactions, and radiation. We then apply these concepts to understand the technology and history of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Students were particularly fascinated by the development of nuclear weapons and had many questions about their effects and how this impacted the arms race. During our discussion of nuclear power, the students were interested in understanding the nuclear accidents, particularly the catastrophe at Chernobyl and its consequences.
The favorite activity of this class was the mousetrap chain reaction "reactor" that we built using mousetraps and ping-pong balls. The students enjoyed putting this together (mousetraps can be quite suspenseful) and setting it off. We use the mousetrap reactor to discuss chain reactions and how different reactor parameters, such as the density of fission targets, neutron leakage, and neutron absorption, impact the functioning of nuclear systems, be they reactors or bombs. The students readily drew conclusions from our simple mousetrap model and were able to apply these conclusions to nuclear systems later in the course when we talked about nuclear reactors and weapons.
The students were more challenged when we talked about the politics of nuclear weapons. I developed a negotiation activity where students played the role of fictional nations and attempt to craft a non-proliferation policy. Students struggled with how to proceed with this open-ended task, although they appropriately considered transparency a necessary condition for the reduction of nuclear arsenals.
Resources for Continued Learning
Books:
Websites:
Thank you for being a part of SEP 2016 Session 3!
- Energy for Future Presidents, Richard Muller - This is a good discussion of the energy system, including information about a variety of different sources including renewables, nuclear, and fossil fuels.
- Atomic Awakening, James A. Mahaffey
- Power to Save the World, Gwyneth Cravens - This is a very readable discussion of nuclear power by a former anti-nuclear activist.
- Hiroshima, John Hersey - A powerful narrative account of the attack on Hiroshima, written based on interviews with survivors.
- Making the Atomic Bomb, Richard Rhodes - One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. Includes excellent information on the history of nuclear science, the Manhatten project, and the decision to drop the bomb.
- Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air, David MacKay, available online at www.withouthotair.com This is one of the best books available on the energy system.
Websites:
- http://www.nuclearconnect.org/ This site is maintained by the American Nuclear Society, the professional organization for nuclear workers. It contains information about nuclear power and other civilian nuclear technologies.
- http://www.atomicarchive.com/ Lots of information here about the history of the atomic bomb, including explanations of the science as well as a lot of pictures.
- http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/ An interesting site that allows you to visualize the impact of different nuclear weapons using Google Maps.
Thank you for being a part of SEP 2016 Session 3!
