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Physics · Nuclear science
Atom Core
Build a nucleus, watch a thousand atoms decay, hold a chain reaction at exactly critical and see how the Sun fuses hydrogen.
Physics · Nuclear science
Atom Core
Build a nucleus, watch a thousand atoms decay, hold a chain reaction at exactly critical and see how the Sun fuses hydrogen.
The course
7 worlds · 27 lessons
World 1 · Inside the Nucleus
FREEThe tiny core that holds almost all of the atom- 01From atom to nucleus: how small is small?Zoom in by a factor of a hundred thousand · 11 min
- 02Protons, neutrons and isotopesThree numbers that name every nucleus · 12 min
- 03The strong force and the push-apartWhat holds a nucleus together against its own repulsion · 12 min
- 04Mass defect: the missing massWhy a helium nucleus weighs less than its parts · 13 min
World 2 · Stability and Decay
PROWhy some nuclei last for ever and others do not- 01The band of stabilityA map of every nucleus, with neutrons on one axis and protons on the other · 12 minPRO
- 02Alpha, beta and gammaThree kinds of decay and three kinds of radiation · 14 minPRO
- 03Half-life with a thousand diceRandom for one atom, predictable for a crowd · 14 minPRO
- 04Decay chains and radonWhen the product of a decay is itself radioactive · 14 minPRO
World 3 · Radiation, Dose and Safety
PROBecquerels, grays and sieverts, in proportion- 01Becquerel, gray, sievertThree units, three different questions · 13 minPRO
- 02Background radiation and everyday numbersYou are always being exposed, and that is normal · 13 minPRO
- 03Time, distance, shieldingThe three levers of radiation protection · 12 minPRO
- 04Radiation in medicineSeeing inside the body and treating disease · 14 minPRO
World 4 · Splitting the Atom
PROWhere nuclear energy comes from, and how a chain reaction is held steady- 01The binding energy curveOne graph that explains fission, fusion and why stars shine · 13 minPRO
- 02Fission of uranium-235Why one neutron can release 200 MeV · 14 minPRO
- 03Chain reaction and kWhy a reactor can sit still at exactly k = 1 · 13 minPRO
- 04Moderators and control rodsThe brake and the accelerator pedal · 13 minPRO
World 5 · Running a Reactor Safely
PROHeat, control, many layers of protection, and the waste question- 01Inside a pressurised water reactorFrom fission heat to electricity in two water loops · 14 minPRO
- 02Control, delayed neutrons and SCRAMWhy a chain reaction that doubles in milliseconds can still be steered · 14 minPRO
- 03Layers of safety, and what accidents taughtDefence in depth in plain language · 15 minPRO
- 04Waste and the fuel cycleA small volume, a long memory · 14 minPRO
World 6 · The Sun's Furnace: Fusion
PROJoining light nuclei, in the Sun and in a magnetic bottle- 01Why fusion needs extreme heatThe barrier between two protons, and the quantum way through · 13 minPRO
- 02How the Sun makes lightThe proton-proton chain, step by step · 14 minPRO
- 03Deuterium, tritium and the tokamakHolding a plasma hotter than the Sun in a magnetic bottle · 15 minPRO
- 04Why isn't fusion power on the grid yet?Gain, records and the engineering gap · 15 minPRO
