THERE’S ATOMIC ENERGY IN GRANITE: CAN WE UNLOCK IT? By Dr. Harrison Brown | Professor of Geochemistry, California Institute of Technology Common, ordinary igneous rock contains all the energy that civilization can use. The energy in a single ton of granite is equal to 50 tons of coal. The same rock holds immense quantities of…
Read MoreBy Richard A. Herrmann | The Journal of Chemical Education | 1974, v 51, pp 420-421 Background For nearly two decades pupils have been hearing about nuclear power plants, atomic submarines, and nuclear missiles. They always desire to “see” the strange powers of radiation that are associated with those enormous man-made nuclear devices, especially since…
Read MoreHere’s just a sampling of radioactive materials…and the many ways they improve lives. Americium -241: Used in many smoke detectors for homes and business…to measure levels of toxic lead in dried paint samples…to ensure uniform thickness in rolling processes like steel and paper production…and to help determine where oil wells should be drilled. Cadmium -109: Used to…
Read MoreSchematic diagram of Lawrence’s hypothesis for disintegration of the deuteron to a proton and a neutron in the electric field of a nucleus. Bottom: Rutherford’s proposal that two colliding deuterons decay either to hydrogen-3 or helium-3, yielding protons and neutrons. Cockcroft, Marcus Oliphant, and Rutherford all dismissed the deuteron hypothesis and advised Lawrence to look…
Read MoreSelected excerpts pertaining to radiant energy power generation Of high electric significance are the exquisitely thin, low-conducting lipoid structures which surround each of the trillions of cells which compose the body. It is a well known physical fact that an oil film has a high capacity for the accumulation of electric charges and that the…
Read MoreThe Original Captain Trips Before Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band…before Timothy Leary…before Ken Kesey’s band of Merry Pranksters and their Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests…before the dawn of the Grateful Dead, there was Alfred M. Hubbard: the Original Captain Trips. by Todd Brendan Fahey You will not read about him in the history books. He…
Read MoreRadioisotopic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) power The energy stored within a few grams of a radioactive isotope could be enough energy to produce many kilowatts of power for a long time. The hidden energy within radioisotopes can be harnessed using the ions that they generate. These ions are in the 4th state of matter called “plasma,” and…
Read MoreProducts that use radioactive material Some types of transistors are now doped with radioactive impurities. Vanadium used to harden steel contains a naturally occurring vanadium radio isotope. Hafnium used to harden steel is also radioactive. Tungsten thoriated rods used in welding usually contain 2-3% radioactive thorium. The magnetron in a microwave oven uses thorium on…
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