large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_84
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
The energy of radioactivity is millions of times as intense as the energy released by chemical reactions. THE ENERGY OF RADIO ACTIVITY IS MILLIONS OF TIMES AS INTENSE AS THE ENERGY RELEASED BY CHEMICAL REACTIONS
pt on for second after second, day after day, month after month, and year after year with no perceptible decrease. The energy released by the uranium over a very long time grew to be enormous. It eventually turned out that while the rate at which uranium delivered energy did decline, it did so with such unbelievable slowness that it took 4.5 billion years (!) for that rate to decrease to half what it was to begin with. If _all_ the energy delivered by a gram of uranium in the course of its radioactivity over many billions of years was totalled, it was enormously greater than the energy produced by the burning of a candle with a mass equal to that of uranium. Let’s put it another way. We might think of a single uranium atom breaking down and shooting off an alpha particle. We might also think of a single carbon atom combining with 2 oxygen atoms to form carbon dioxide. The uranium atom would give off 2,000,000 times as much energy in breaking down, as the carbon atom would in combining. EPT ON FOR SECOND AFTER SECOND DAY AFTER DAY MONTH AFTER MONTH AND YEAR AFTER YEAR WITH NO PERCEPTIBLE DECREASE THE ENERGY RELEASED BY THE URANIUM OVER A VERY LONG TIME GREW TO BE ENORMOUS IT EVENTUALLY TURNED OUT THAT WHILE THE RATE AT WHICH URANIUM DELIVERED ENERGY DID DECLINE IT DID SO WITH SUCH UNBELIEVABLE SLOWNESS THAT IT TOOK FOUR POINT FIVE BILLION YEARS FOR THAT RATE TO DECREASE TO HALF OF WHAT IT WAS TO BEGIN WITH IF ALL THE ENERGY DELIVERED BY A GRAM OF URANIUM IN THE COURSE OF ITS RADIOACTIVITY OVER MANY BILLIONS OF YEARS WAS TOTALED IT WAS ENORMOUSLY GREATER THAN THE ENERGY PRODUCED BY THE BURNING OF A CANDLE WITH A MASS EQUAL TO THAT OF URANIUM LET'S PUT IT ANOTHER WAY WE MIGHT THINK OF A SINGLE GERANIUM ATOM BREAKING DOWN AND SHOOTING OFF AN ALPHA PARTICLE WE MIGHT ALSO THINK OF A SINGLE CARBON ATOM COMBINING WITH TWO OXYGEN ATOMS TO FORM CARBON DIOXIDE THE URANIUM ATOM WOULD GIVE OFF TWO MILLION TIMES AS MUCH ENERGY IN BREAKING DOWN AS THE CARBON ATOM WOULD IN COMBINING
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