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March 2011 Elements that contain unstable nuclei are radioactive; they are called radionuclides. They decay by releasing mostly alpha and beta particles accompanied by gamma rays. An alpha particle has low-energy, is positively charged and consists of two protons and two neutrons, i.e., a helium atom without its 2 electrons; it can be stopped by tissue paper or human skin.  A beta particle is a high-energy, negatively charged electron (negatron) or a positively charged positron; it can be stopped by a sheet of aluminum. Gamma rays are high energy, short-wavelength, electromagnetic radiation; they can be stopped by concrete or lead. The energy released by radionuclides may knock electrons out of their orbits around an atom’s nucleus. This process is called ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation damages living tissues, leads to changes in constituents of the cell, including the DNA of chromosomes, and results in changes in structure and function of the cells and organ syst...

REMEMBER: WATT IS THE UNIT OF POWER By   Dave Gershgorn   Posted  Yesterday at 9:47pm The Asahi Shimbun The LFEX petawatt laser. Researchers at Osaka University  are claiming  to have fired the most powerful laser in the world. The 2-petawatt (two quadrillion watt) pulse lasted just one picosecond (a trillionth of a second). For a rough comparison, in 2013, a 50 kilowatt (50,000 watt) laser  shot down a drone two kilometers away . Osaka's mega-powerful laser is called  LFEX , or Laser for Fast Ignition Experiments, and measures more than 300 feet long. While two petawatts is a formidable amount of power, the idea of a petawatt laser isn’t new. The United States has a few of their own, notably a  one-petawatt laser  at the University of Texas at Austin. Michael Donovan, associate director for the Texas Petawatt, says that it’s important to remember when talking about lasers of this size that, while the power ...

By   Kaushik  Friday, October 26, 2012 Some years ago, a British engineering firm  Atkins  proposed an extravagant design for a five-star hotel located deep within a 100-meter, abandoned and half flooded pit near the base of Tianmashan Mountain in the Songjiang District of Shanghai. Construction on the 19-story, 380-room Shimao Intercontinental Hotel finally is already underway. Initially the hotel was expected to be completed by May, 2009, but construction commenced only in March early this year. The innovative design of the luxury resort hotel stands two levels higher than the rock face of the 100 meter deep quarry and includes underwater public areas and guestrooms. Instead of draining what water there is in the quarry, it will be flooded to become a sunken artificial lake. Two of the hotels floors housing guest rooms and a restaurant are to be situated underwater. An artificial waterfall will plunge down in front of the hotel's facade and into the quarry, at...

Finally you can rest your green conscience by building your own wind powered generator. This DIY wind turbine   is easy to build especially since the authors show you how with step-by-step instructions. The wind turbine is unsophisticated in design but efficient as it produces about 84 Watts with 30mph winds. It won’t eliminate your entire electricity bill, but it’ll help you start your journey into the alternative energy movement.  Check out our   DIY Free Energy tutorials and more details below. Most of the parts needed to assemble the make-at-home wind turbine can be salvaged making the total build pretty cheap. The author’s website at  Velacreations.com  guides you through the nitty-gritty of putting the contraption together.  So go ahead, give this windmill a whirl. Reduce your electric bill and your carbon footprint in one go. Parts font size       Print   Email Tagged under   energy ...