Atomic energy.

We live in the world, of atoms which make up everything around, us, All things surrounding us on the earth, the moon, the sun, and. all other stars are made of atoms. You cannot see them even with a power­ful microscope, for every atom is too small. But scientists have not only explained the structure of the atom, "but have also found ways of splitting atomic nucleus. Tremendous energy is released when the atomic nucleus is split» This energy is millions of times greater than that produced by ordinary chemical reactions. The amount of energy which may be released when the nuc­leus of one atom is split is very small, but man has learned to split the nuclei of billions of atoms and release great amounts of energy.

Atomic nuclei are bound to each other differently. Some of them are more tightly bound together than others. Some kinds of atomic nuclei can split more readily than others. And some of them explode suddenly by themselves .Such atoms are called radioactive .When radio­active atoms are split in nature some of the energy which was bound in their nuclei is released in the form of heat and radiation «This energy is known as atomic energy.

The discoveries of physicists in the field of atomic, energy have a very great effect on science and the life of mankind

Peaceful atom

Achievements in studying structure have opened up new, practically unlimited possibilities to humanity for further mastering nature's forces. The discovery of atomic energy provides as profound effect for the benefit of civilization as the discovery of fire and electricity.

After having recovered from the shock of unimaginable horror of the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima people asked scientists how soon they would be able to apply the immense power of fusioned nucleus to peaceful purposes . Many problems to be solved the one of braking the released neutrons efficiently so that the chain could be. The classical solution of this question is conducting the heat generated by the fission process out of the reactor, making it boil water and forcing the resulting steam to drive turbines which, in their turn drive electric generators It is a way which well although it is still rather expensive.

It is to be noted that the first power station fed by atomic fuels which was also the worlds first atomic power station working in Obninsk near Moscow, in 1954. Its capacity was 5 000 kilowatts. Thirty⁷ years later in the Soviet Union there were already 13 atomic power station with the total capacity of over 21 million kilowatts, At the same time with large atomic station smaller mobile electricity producing units have been created based on the discovery of radioactive sources - isotopes, Mobile nuclear installations may be carried by rail and then by transporters to the out-of-the-way regions even in areas having no roads. Such a station according to estimates can operate without being recharged for two years. Today scientists are looking for new more efficient nuclear processes of producing energy. But it was only lately that physicists understood that the process of producing tremendous energy by start, our Sun, was the very process they were looking for - Now we that this thermonuclear process is called fusion and it place at fantastically high temperatures • It can be done only by imitating on the Earth the process that makes the Sun shine. There are many difficult problems to overcome before thermonuclear power station based on this process can a reality, but the of fuel supply is the of the of the are practically an inexhaustible source of deuterium which plays the decisive part in the fusion process and its extraction from sea water is neither complicated nor expensive, In short , peaceful of atomic energy are vast - but we must stop using it on of annihilation.