Despite all of the promises, nuclear power has only been put into minimal use. Only a few of the nuclear plants that the government planned on building have actually been built. Some of the plants that were constructed have been shut down. Now, more than fifty years after the dawning of the atomic age, many people are still skeptical about atomic energy. Scientists still have many questions to answer about the long term impact of nuclear waste on the environment.
Atomic energy is the energy stored within the nucleus of an atom.
Stable atoms do not release this energy. Radioactive atoms, however, are very unstable and release large quantities of energy. This atomic energy is utilized within a nuclear reactor. Uranium, a radioactive element, is the fuel of most nuclear reactors. Uranium rods are allowed to interact with each other in the core of the reactor.