Nuclear Fission, essentially, is the process of splitting atoms with releases of energy. An example of nuclear fission can be seen in terms of radioactive material. When radioactive material decays, protons and neutrons are pulled into arrangements where they are tightly bound. At this stage, nuclear potential energy is lost, and heat is released.. Humans have discovered that faster decay can be produced by bombarding nuclei with other particles. An example of this is Natural Uranium. When a neutron (The Human symbol N) strikes a nucleus of isotope Uranium 235, the nucleus splits giving off, simultaneously, both neutrons and energy. Furthermore, they have picked up on the ‘Chain Reaction.” If neutrons from the fission of one nucleus go onto split other nuclei, the number of nuclei undergoing fission multiplies rapidly. Hence, lots of energy is released in a sort space of time.
In certain aspects, this is a good thing. Small amounts of fuel can provide a reasonably large amount of energy. This fuel used is rather inexpensive and can be found worldwide. With the energy problem on earth, nuclear fission can be used as an easy source to access. Furthermore, it does not contribute to global warming or other pollution effects associated with fossil fuel combustion; it has considerably less carbon dioxide emissions. (We must keep in mind that because humans cannot fly, they have silly vehicles which do indeed produce terrible pollution; a major problem on earth.) Nuclear power plants (factories that have been built on earth to create such processes) can be fairly costly to build. However, a nuclear plant would only put a significant amount
of radioactivity into the environment if there was some type of accident as compared to coal plants which put radioactivity into the environment as part of their normal operations. In this perspective, nuclear fission is an advantage. On the other hand, should a nuclear meltdown occur due to an uncontrolled reaction, dangerous radiation would be released potentially harming people. Another similar situation that arises is the storage of waste products which again leads to the same issue of safety; is it worth the risk?
Human society, cultures, and politics too have affected the development of nuclear fission and its applications. Modern cultures promote the use of nuclear energy, saying that it will prosper for the future; however, more conservative cultures are unsure about what it will lead to. Different mentalities have lead to both positive and negative results of nuclear fission.
The waste products of fission were found by humans to have been useful in making weapons of mass destruction. As stated earlier, humans have had a terrible history of war and power and hence politics made an awful turn for this process. During the 1940’s, a Second World War took place on earth, during which nuclear fission was unfortunately discovered. Research on nuclear fission became the top secret in several countries; human mentality made it obvious that a weapon employing nuclear fission would be so powerful that whoever would develop it would win. The human mentality of power and the desire to win sped up the development of atomic bombs, two of which were used in the war. The destruction was so horrific that, thankfully, no nuclear bomb has been used in wars since.
There is a difficult balance then on earth, concerning both the moral and ethical issues associated with nuclear fission. On one side, it can provide a great source of easy energy without carbon dioxide emissions. It helps the people use energy, and does not account for global warming or the greenhouse effect. On the other side, its plants can be potentially dangerous and its byproducts can be used to create the most harmful of all weapons. Uncountable deaths have occurred and unfortunate tragedies were suffered as a consequence of nuclear fission’s negative applications. Even the safety issue arises; should plants be built for this process if deadly accidents can possibly occur? Should humans use this process to their advantage even if they cannot be responsible about it? What, really, should nuclear fission be used for?
Political will and public pressure have diverted human effort to develop peaceful applications of nuclear energy. As a result, nuclear power reactors have been supplying energy for humans for several decades now. Reactor accidents have changed public opinion to an extent, and the future of nuclear energy is uncertain. Yet the energy demand is on increase, and the public opinion may just change again. Whatever the result of this discovery may be, let us hope that humans will be more responsible and conscious in the future.
Bibliography
1.) “Basic Nuclear Fission” Thinkquest Team 98, Team 17940. February 25, 2005. Online. Available:
2.) “Advantages and Disadvantages” Thinkquest Team 98, Team 17940. February 25, 2005. Online. Available:
3.) “Nuclear Fission; Energy for War and Peace” February 25, 2005. Online. Available:
