use Google. No way you won't find TONS of info. Start out with "how does Nuclear power work". You'll learn all about fusion, steam, turbines, graphite, spent fuel storage, advantages, disadvantages, safety...For an interesting perspective look up "The story of Chernobyl" and see how Russians nuke plants were much more unstable and dangerous than Western reactors.
Nuclear power is all about the neutrons. Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that exists in the earth's crust at a level about the same as tin. Uranium is special in that it can split into two pieces and when it does it ejects 2 or 3 neutrons in the process. It is also special in that if a uranium atom is hit with a neutron travelling at just the right speed, it can cause the split. The technical term for splitting an atom is called fissioning. Those few elements that can be split by neutrons are called fissile materials.
Uranium occurs naturally in three different isotopes. An element is defined by the number of protons in the nucleus. This is called the atomic number. However, atomic nuclei also have neutrons. Many elements can have differing amounts of neutrons in their nucleus. For example, hydrogen is available in three different configurations. Each has one proton, but the three versions have either zero neutrons, one neutron, or three neutrons. These different configurations are called isotopes. Uranium has many different isotopes which are all radioactive, but only three which occur naturally in the earth's crust. They are uranium-234 (present in trace quantities), uranium-235 (present in 0.7% of all uranium), and uranium-238 (present in 99.3% of all uranium). The uranium-235 is the interesting isotope because it is fissile.
So, when you get enough uranium-235 together, you can have a chain reaction because when one U-235 nucleus fissions, it will release 2 or 3 more neutrons which will go on to cause more fissions. As these neutrons and uranium parts go flying around, they are releasing a huge amount of energy. In a nuclear reactor, the neutrons are used to bang around the water molecules in the core which makes the water really hot so it boils. The boiling water makes steam which is carried through massive pipes to a large turbine which spins a shaft to turn a generator to make electricity.
Under perfect conditions the number of uranium atoms that fissions is the same from second to second, this is said to be a critical state. If things aren't so good, the number of fissions decreases from second to second and the system is said to be sub-critical. Lastly, if the number of fissions increases from second to second, the system is said to be super-critical.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_pow...
Wikipedia isn't always the most reliable but if the sources are correct it can help. Make sure to check the sources out as well.
It's dangerous... probably.
I have a science test coming up however, i am allowed to take all my research in the exam with me, i have looked all over the internet and can't find much about it?
