Tell students, “We are now going to take a look at how the Westinghouse Atom Smasher led to the development of nuclear energy. Remember that Westinghouse built the world’s first industrial atom smasher in Forest Hills, Pennsylvania in 1937, before anyone knew there would be any commercial applications from the study of the atom. The atom smasher was a large, pear-shaped steel tank about the height of a six-story building. It accelerated particles through a vacuum tube, causing them to reach speeds up to 100 million miles per hour. When they collided with the target atoms, the target atoms were broken into many different fragments. A number of new isotopes were discovered this way and data obtained from their experiments led to the development of nuclear power. For example:
- Researchers using the Atom Smasher in 1940 discovered the photo-fission of uranium. Photo-fission is the splitting of an atomic nucleus that occurs when the nucleus absorbs high-energy radiation such as gamma rays. This is part of the process involved in generating nuclear power.
- Dr. William E. Shoupp, one of the original researchers at the Westinghouse Atom Smasher, directed the development of a nuclear reactor for the first atomic submarine, the Nautilus, in 1954. He and other Westinghouse scientists also did the research leading to the first commercial nuclear power plant in Shippingport, PA.
Now we will look at a video which shows how nuclear fission occurs.” Show the video at the Web site, Physics Nuclear Fission E=mc² at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7C14UIKuv8 and click on the box containing the four outward-facing arrows to show the video full screen. Project the video onto a screen with a laptop computer or have students divide into groups of three or four and view the video at a computer station or on laptop computers set up in the lab. After the video has played, ask students the following questions for discussion (answers are given below).
1. Why is an alpha particle unable to make a uranium atom undergo fission? (Answer: The alpha particle has a positive charge and so does the nucleus of a uranium atom. The like charges cause both particles to repel each other.)
2. Why are neutrons able to make atoms undergo fission?
(Answer: The neutron has no charge so it will not experience any repulsion (or attraction) by the nucleus of a uranium atom. Thus it will be able to impact the nucleus.)
3. What happens to the nucleus of uranium atoms after a neutron impacts it?
(Answer: The neutron sticks to the nucleus, making it unstable and causing it to break apart. This produces smaller nuclei, additional neutrons, and energy.)
4. Why is so much energy given off compared to a chemical reaction?
(Answer: Part of the mass of the uranium nucleus is converted to energy according to the formula E = mc², which means it is extremely large.)
After discussing the answers to the questions, tell students, “This was the type of reaction that went on inside the reactor of the USS Nautilus, the world’s first atomic submarine and in the first commercial nuclear power plant in Shippingport, PA.”
Extension:
- For students requiring more practice with the standards, have them create a presentation on the first nuclear submarine using PowerPoint, a poster, or a skit. Each presentation should include the following:
o Visual description of the submarine (sketch, printout, or model)
o Overview of the submarine’s power. How does it generate energy? What are the pros and cons of a nuclear-powered sub?
o Brief history and description of the team of scientists involved
o Implementation of the submarine (military, research/discovery, etc.)
- Students performing above and beyond the standards can take part in a RAFT activity to extend their knowledge of matter-energy conversions through fission:
o Role: radio news reporter, advertiser, television interviewee, or blogger
o Audience: skeptical and perhaps concerned public
o Form: radio news item, display ad, TV news interview, Internet Web log
o Theme: Shippingport Atomic Power Station
Tell students, “We are now going to do some research for an assignment I am going to give you for homework. You will continue to meet in your groups to do research on the Internet. You will need to find out how the first commercial nuclear power plant in Shippingport worked. Each of you should take notes on what you learn because you will each (individually) give a report next class period on your findings. Your report will be in one of the following formats:
o A radio news report announcing the opening of the Shippingport nuclear power plant. You will prepare a script as if it were going to be read by a radio news reporter over the air.
o A display ad in the newspaper about the opening of the nuclear power plant informing the general public about the facility. You will prepare copy for the advertisement as it would appear in the newspaper.
o A television interview regarding the opening of the nuclear power plant. You will prepare the questions asked by the interviewer and, as the one being interviewed, give answers to the questions that will be of interest and concern to the public.
o A Web log describing the opening of the new nuclear power plant. As a contributor to a Web log or online journal, you will describe the operation of the new facility, giving details pertinent to your intended audience on the Internet.
In each case, your report should be no longer than two minutes. Your report, no matter what the format, should address the following areas:
1. When the nuclear power plant opened and started generating electrical energy for the grid.
2. How the nuclear power plant operates (a brief description such that a lay person can understand it).
3. What kind of fuel the nuclear power plant uses and the type of changes occurring within the fuel (in terms of matter and/or energy). Also the physical and/or chemical properties of the fuel that make it useful for fission.
4. What safety features have been built into the nuclear power plant so no one is exposed to dangerous radiation.
5. How much energy is expected to be generated by the nuclear power plant.”
Hand out to students the Nuclear Power Report Study Sheet (S-C-2-3_Nuclear Power Report Study Sheet.doc). You may also want to provide students with the list of resources in Related Resources (although they are not limited to these).
Students will do their research in groups and may collaborate and share ideas with each other. All students should take individual notes and record any ideas obtained from the group for their individual presentations during the next class period. At home students should review their notes, conduct any additional research needed, and prepare written documents for their particular role. On the following day, score students’ two-minute presentations. Evaluate them based on the following:
o Clear presentation with proper grammar
o Realistic and proper format for the role being played
o Accurate analysis of the information
o Clear answers to the five areas listed
