Rock and soil attenuate gamma rays, the most penetrating radiation from radioactive waste, by more than a factor of 3 per foot. Since the waste will be buried 2,000 feet underground, gamma rays from it would be attenuated by a factor of 32000 = 101000, an enormously large number. The radioactive waste produced by a million years of all-nuclear power in the United States would eventually emit about 1036 gamma rays;11 thus the probability of even a single gamma ray from it reaching the surface would be about (1036/101000 =) 10-964, an infinitesimally small probability (964 zeros after the decimal point.CAN YOU SUGGEST A NOVEL RESEARCH TECHNIQUE TO CONSUME GAMMA RAYS ARTIFICIALLY BEFORE BURRYING THE SPENT WASTE?
210418
Convert the waste into forms that can be used for thermal reactors.
522974
3mm is more precise than the above answers. Beta radiation can be stopped by as little as 3mm of aluminium.
160276
E=MC2 doesn't talk about radiation.  It is about energy.  Nuclear bombs and nuclear reactors work off of the same principle.  Just in nuclear reactors, the reaction is controlled and made safe, and in bombs, the energy is released all at once.  When an atom is "split", the total mass of the origional atom and the neutron that splits it is more than the pieces that it breaks into.  That difference becomes heat energy, and the E=MC2 tells you how much energy.  The radiation that everyone associates with it comes before and after the nuclear reaction, when the nuclear fuel and daughter products (the pieces the atom split into) decay and emit various forms of radiation, depending on what is decaying.  E=MC2 doesn't talk about this part of the process, just about the moment the atom actually splits.  To reverse the process and convert energy into mass is mainly theoretical, though it is possible.  Lab conditions have achieved microscopicly small results.  This is the process that the transporters and replicators use on Star Trek.
554613
All elements with atomic number higher than 92 (Uranium) are artificially produced. To do so, they accelerate a neutron (which is hard since neutron has no charge) and then bombard a lighter nucleus with them. The nucleus absorbs a neutron, releases an electron (beta ray) and keeps a proton, so the atomic number will raise one number. (n -> e + p)\nThey do it again and again until they reach the element that they want. but the higher the atomic number, the lower the half life will be (they will last from few months to few micro seconds) when they say that an element is not yet produced but they put it in the periodic table, this means they have evidence that is should exist, but since the half life is short they are unable to detect it, so they have to wait for technology to advance so they can detect it.
133851
no doubt, disposal of nuclear under the sea in not the safer solution. lead blocks can not be stable for years together . if possible it will never withstand for 1000 years . so there will be dangerous radiations raniating which will affect aquatic organisms & later pollute the atmosphere
477990
put the counter closer cos alpha raysonly travel a short distance...maybe that will work?... \n\nor get something that will alter with radiation... i think there a material that changes colour when hit with radiation....\n\nOOOOOOOOOrr... get something that emits a longer range radiation ray when the alpha partiles hit it...that way u can get a good approx of the count
63450
try this website, I just did a search and this came up:\n\nhttp://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq5.html
236750
To add to rya's answer: fusion doesn't leave radioactive waste, but we don't know how to do it yet.
584724
If I'm not mistaken, we've tested a number of 20-megaton nukes before, and the fact that you're able to ask this question means that we've survived that first test. :-)  \n\nAs for how big of a nuke it would take to blow up Earth, a couple of issues you'll have to deal with first is what to do about all of the debris that will settle after the nuke goes off, because as it floats back down because of gravity, then gravity itself will hold down all of the matter upon Earth. As to what it would take to cause the most damage, I've gotten to thinking since the 2004 tsunami that if a well-placed nuke was right on major fault lines either in the ocean or possibly on land (like maybe on the New Madrid fault), the tectonic action resulting from the force of the nuclear blast would be much more destructive than the bomb itself, because the shifting of tectonic plates would then cause damage at a much greater radius from ground zero in the resulting earthquake than would just blast waves in an atmospheric explosion.\n\nMaybe that doesn't answer your question, but it's the best I can figure as I am neither a physicist nor a geologist. :-)
582724
The radiation length for Al is 24 cm, for Pb 0.56 cm. To reduce the beam to 10% we need 2.3 radiation lengths, 55 cm of Al or 1.3 cm of Pb. \n\nNo idea how your  attenuation coefficients relate to my radiation lengths. A radiation length is the length of material needed to attenuate the beam by 1/e, that is to 0.368 of the original intensity.\n\nGood luck!
676334
False. Scientists realize that radioactive decay happens at a steady rate which can be measured by radio-carbon dating. Through countless tests over many years, the consistent measurements so far have indicated that the Earth is about 4 billion years old.
262439
There is a huge problem with the pollution. I don't want to start glowing bright green. With Nuclear power plant comes Nuclear targets for the enemy too. You can't hide them, they glow in the dark.
353265
in order to receive a damaging amount or radiation you would need about 600 full power chest xrs in a year so it is extrememly unlikely that there will be residual effects
509394
Interesting.  Since muons, even at near-light speed, are likely to decay before hitting Earth-local detectors, it seems difficult to believe that any have been detected.  At least I've seen no articles on muon radiation from black holes in the major science publications.\n\nAlso, if you were indeed a walking black hole, the circumference of your event horizon would probably be comparable to the size of a proton or maybe smaller.  In which case, you wouldn't really be walking or typing or reading this answer.  <sigh>.\n\nAnd we even shouldn't go anywhere near considering the effects of stellar-equivalent energy flux around your navel.  Does the term "massively extra crispy" begin to communicate the state of your body not to mention your surrounding area for miles?  Thought so.
540799
this is a special application of radio waves:\nSoil heating using electrical energy for optimization of various remediation methods \nThe application of radio frequency (RF) energy supplies as in situ method the possibility to evenly and defined heat soil. If it is necessary, heating can be carried out with relatively high heating rates. The RF technique is used for the heating of electrically non-conductive materials and works after the same principle as the microwave oven. Utilizing the low-frequent RF waves (frequency of 3 to 50 MHz), larger volumes (such as contaminated soil) can be treated. With this principle, the RF method is able to in situ reach contaminants which are deep buildings or other sealed surfaces. The method can be utilized at temperatures between -20°C and 400°C.\n\nPotential application (studied in the working group) are e.g. support of microbial degradation of pollutants and the thermodesorption or sequestration of pollutants as bound residues in the soil matrix. \n\nnow uses on radio waves:\nUses of Radio Waves:\nThe prime purpose of radio is to convey information from one place to another through the intervening media (i.e., air, space, nonconducting materials) without wires. Besides being used for transmitting sound and television signals, radio is used for the transmission of data in coded form. In the form of radar it is used also for sending out signals and picking up their reflections from objects in their path. Long-range radio signals enable astronauts to communicate with the earth from the moon and carry information from space probes as they travel to distant planets (see space exploration). For navigation of ships and aircraft the radio range, radio compass (or direction finder), and radio time signals are widely used. Radio signals sent from global positioning satellites can also be used by special receivers for a precise indication of position (see navigation satellite). Digital radio, both satellite and terrestrial, provides improved audio clarity and volume. Various remote-control devices, including rocket and artificial satellite operations systems and automatic valves in pipelines, are activated by radio signals. The development of the transistor and other microelectronic devices (see microelectronics) led to the development of portable transmitters and receivers. Cellular and cordless telephones are actually radio transceivers. Many telephone calls routinely are relayed by radio rather than by wires; some are sent via radio to relay satellites. Some celestial bodies and interstellar gases emit relatively strong radio waves that are observed with radio telescopes composed of very sensitive receivers and large directional antennas (see radio astronomy).
301787
That is the law of hughe numbers.\nAbout the decay of individual nucleus you can predicht nothing.\nHowever about a measurable amount of isotope you can give its half life time.
324013
They prevent pollution from oil and other fossil fuels, and thus help reduce CO2. \nBut they also pose the problem of radioactive waste that we have to get rid of properly. I don't think that there is any radiation outside the plant, unless it explodes, which is very unlikely, but possible. In that case a lot of land around it will be uninhabitable for like 500 years or so (I am guessing according to the half life or Uranium). I am NOT making this up it happened in Russian many years ago. Can't remember the date or place but it did and wasn't good.