12:00 - 2:30 Sala de Reuniones Latino/Hispana B - Planta Baja
100 Larkin St. No prior knowledge of math or science required.
Few things are more frightening than the unknown. Science can
bring some understanding of the unknown and thus lessen that
fear, or arouse action against a justified fear and provide
analysis of the price to be paid for abating the danger. This
generality is amply illustrated by the issues surrounding
nuclear fuel, compared to coal or other fossil fuels, as a means
of generating electric power. The recent events at the Fukushima
power station in Japan have again brought the fear of
radioactivity to public consciousness. What is radioactivity?
What is the mechanism by which it is used to generate electric
power, and how does it compare to mechanisms using coal, oil,
natural gas, and other fossil fuels? What is the difference
between exposure to radiation from a nuclear power station and
exposure to radiation from the sun? These and related questions
will be discussed, and the basic scien