We now know how atoms,
the building blocks of the whole universe
and everything therein, animate-inanimate,
form matter in an extraordinary way. As we
have examined, these extremely minute particles
have a perfect organisation within themselves.
Yet, the miraculous aspect of the atom does
not end there; the atom also houses tremendous
energy.
This power hidden in the atom is so great
that its discovery has enabled man to build
huge canals uniting oceans, dig through mountains,
produce artificial climates and accomplish
many similar useful projects. However, while
the power hidden in the atom serves humanity
on one hand, it poses an extremely great danger
for humanity on the other hand. So much so
that by the misuse of this power, tens of
thousands of people lost their lives in a
very short time- a few seconds - at Hiroshima
and Nagasaki during World War II. In recent
years, an accident that took place in the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Russia caused
the death or injury of a great number of people.
Before giving detailed
information on the disasters the power of
the atom caused in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and
Chernobyl, let us take a short look at the
nature of this power in the atom and how it
is released.
In
the chapter titled "The Formation Adventure
of the Atom", we had said the force keeping
the protons and neutrons together in the atomic
nucleus is "the strong nuclear force".
The enormous power of nuclear energy is revealed
by the liberation of a tiny part of this force
in the nucleus. The magnitude of this energy
varies depending on the type of the element,
because the number of protons and neutrons in
the nucleus of each element is different. As
the nucleus grows, the number of neutrons and
protons and the magnitude of the force bonding
them to each other increase. It is extremely
difficult to release this force that is responsible
for keeping protons and neutrons together in
a large nucleus. As the particles grow more
distant from each other, they, just like a taut
bow, try to come together with greater force.
Before
going into the details of this force, let us
think it over. How can such an enormous force
fit in such a small place? This is such a force
that it has been discovered after years of research
conducted by thousands of people. When it is
not interfered with, it does not do any harm
to anyone, yet, with the intervention of man,
it may at any time become a force killing millions.
Two
technical processes called "fission"
and "fusion" release this extraordinary
force in the nucleus of the atom, which may
endanger the lives of millions of people. Although
these reactions at first seem to take place
in the nucleus of the atom, they actually involve
all the components of the atom. The reaction
known as fission is a nuclear reaction in which
an atomic nucleus splits into fragments, and
the reaction called fusion is the bringing together
of two nuclei by a great force. In either reaction,
a tremendous amount of energy is released.
 Fission is a reaction in which
the atomic nucleus splits into fragments.
As shown in the picture, the uranium
235 atom made to collide with a neutron
is split to form the atoms of krypton
92 and barium 142. As a result of this
collision, gamma rays are also released
in the form of energy. |
