large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_26
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
What is involved then in radioactivity and in the sun is "nuclear energy". WHAT IS INVOLVED THEN IN RADIOACTIVITY AND IN THE SUN IS NUCLEAR ENERGY
 the atom had not yet been worked out and this new energy was just a vague supposition. No one had any idea of what it actually might be or where in the atom it might be located. It could only be spoken of as existing “within the atom” and was therefore called “atomic energy”. Through long habit, it is still called that much of the time. And yet “atomic energy” is not a good name. In the first couple of decades of the 20th century, it became apparent that ordinary chemical energy involved electron shifts and those electrons were certainly components of atoms. This meant that a wood fire was a kind of atomic energy. The electrons, however, existed only in the outer regions of the atom. Once Rutherford worked out the theory of the nuclear atom, it became apparent that the energy involved in radioactivity and in solar radiation had to involve components of the atom that were more massive and more energetic than the light electrons. The energy had to come, somehow, from the atomic nucleus. ED THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM HAD NOT YET BEEN WORKED OUT AND THIS NEW ENERGY WAS JUST A VAGUE SUPPOSITION NO ONE HAD ANY IDEA OF WHAT IT ACTUALLY MIGHT BE OR WHERE IN THE ATOM IT MIGHT BE LOCATED IT COULD ONLY BE SPOKEN OF AS EXISTING WITHIN THE ATOM AND THEREFORE WAS CALLED ATOMIC ENERGY THROUGH LONG HABIT IT IS STILL CALLED THAT MUCH OF THE TIME AND YET ATOMIC ENERGY IS NOT A GOOD NAME IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF DECADES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY IT BECAME APPARENT THAT ORDINARY CHEMICAL ENERGY INVOLVED ELECTRON SHIFTS AND THOSE ELECTRONS WERE CERTAINLY COMPONENTS OF ATOM THIS MEANT THAT A WOOD FIRE WAS A KIND OF ATOMIC ENERGY THE ELECTRONS HOWEVER EXISTED ONLY IN THE OUTER REGIONS OF THE ATOM ONCE RUTHERFORD WORKED OUT THE THEORY OF THE NUCLEAR ATOM IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE ENERGY INVOLVED IN RADIOACTIVITY AND IN SOLAR RADIATION HAD TO INVOLVE COMPONENTS OF THE ATOM THAT WERE MORE MASSIVE AND MORE ENERGETIC THAN THE LIGHT ELECTRONS THE ENERGY HAD TO COME SOMEHOW FROM THE ATOMIC NUCLEUS
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