Changes

In roughly 30 years or more, only two nuclear power plants have been activated in the [[United States]], due to opposition by [[Leftist]] [[environmentalist]]s.  Both of these nuclear power plants are located in [[Tennessee]] under the unique [[Tennessee Valley Authority]], and the second one was the result of a 43-year effort.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/us/tennessee-nuclear-power-plant/index.html</ref>

In roughly 30 years or more, only two nuclear power plants have been activated in the [[United States]], due to opposition by [[Leftist]] [[environmentalist]]s.  Both of these nuclear power plants are located in [[Tennessee]] under the unique [[Tennessee Valley Authority]], and the second one was the result of a 43-year effort.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/us/tennessee-nuclear-power-plant/index.html</ref>

==Theory==

==Theory==

The energy released from a nuclear fission device is given by the equation [[E=mc²]]. Spelled out, the energy of a physical system is equal to the system's mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. (In [[natural units]], the equation would be simplified to ''E''=''m''.)  This equation is the formula for the energy contained in an atom. This energy is released in a nuclear weapon when a speeding [[neutron]] collides with the atom, blasting it apart, and releasing the binding energy of the atom. In a nuclear weapon, the atom blasted apart then releases other neutrons which collide with other atoms. This keeps occurring until there are no atoms left to destroy. This is known as a nuclear chain reaction. In a nuclear fission power plant, however, the nuclear core is designed so that a runaway chain reaction cannot occur, by limiting the number of neutrons available to continue the reaction by the use of control rods.<ref>http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/control.html</ref>  

Contrary to a popular [[liberal]] misconception, nuclear energy has nothing to do with the fanciful hypothesis of [[E=mc²]]. (In [[natural units]], this equation would be simplified to ''E''=''m''.)  Under this hypothesis, this formula is the energy contained in an atom. This energy is released in a nuclear weapon when a speeding [[neutron]] collides with the atom, blasting it apart, and releasing the binding energy of the atom. In a nuclear weapon, the atom blasted apart then releases other neutrons which collide with other atoms. This keeps occurring until there are no atoms left to destroy. This is known as a nuclear chain reaction. In a nuclear fission power plant, however, the nuclear core is designed so that a runaway chain reaction cannot occur, by limiting the number of neutrons available to continue the reaction by the use of control rods.<ref>http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/control.html</ref>  

Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, is based on putting atoms together, as opposed to breaking them apart in fission, heavier atoms often require less bonding energy than the combined original binding energies of the fusing lighter atoms.

Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, is based on putting atoms together, as opposed to breaking them apart in fission, heavier atoms often require less bonding energy than the combined original binding energies of the fusing lighter atoms.