Nuclear energy is energy released from
the atomic nucleus. The conversion of nuclear mass to
energy is consistent with the mass-energy equivalence
formula E = mc², in which E = energy, m = mass, and
c = the speed of light in a vacuum (a physical constant).
Nuclear energy is released by three Exothermic
processes:
* Radioactive decay, where a proton
or neutron in the radioactive nucleus decays spontaneously
by emitting a particle
* Fusion, two atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier
nucleus.
* Fission, the breaking of heavy nucleus into two nuclei.
Nuclear energy was first discovered accidentally
by French physicist Henri Becquerel in 1896, when he found
that photographic plates stored in the dark near uranium
were blackened in a manner similar to that due to X-Rays,
which had been just recently discovered at the time.
Nuclear power is a type of nuclear technology
involving the controlled use of nuclear reactions to release
energy for work including propulsion, heat, and the generation
of electricity. Nuclear energy is produced by a controlled
nuclear chain reaction and creates heat—which is
used to boil water, produce steam, and drive a steam turbine.
The turbine can be used for mechanical work and also to
generate electricity.
