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Nuclear Physics Explained
Nuclear radiation is everywhere. At this moment, byproducts of cosmic rays are raining down on you from the galaxy, neutrinos produced in the Sun are piercing your body by the trillions, and nuclear particles from everyday sources in rocks, air, food, and water are bombarding you from all directions. If you had a supersensitive “Geiger counter” that picked up all nuclear particles, it would chirp nonstop.
Yet despite this continuous exposure, “radiation” is a term that evokes worry and even panic. There are sources of radiation to be concerned about, but true vigilance lies in understanding the physics of the atomic nucleus—an endlessly interesting structure that defines the universe we live in.
Then, of course, there are nuclear weapons, which have arguably kept a fragile peace since the end of World War II, but which also threaten civilization with an unparalleled cataclysm. All of these insights, benefits, and dangers trace to an inconceivably tiny subatomic structure that was unknown until a century ago.
Covering the science, history, hazards, applications, and latest advances in the field, Nuclear Physics Explained is your guide to a subject that is rarely presented at a level suitable for non-scientists. In these 24 eye-opening, half-hour lectures, Professor Lawrence Weinstein of Old Dominion University begins by bringing you straight into the sometimes mind-bending ideas of nuclear physics, and then takes you into the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility to explain the awe-inspiring machines at the forefront of nuclear research—machines he is using in his own work. Then, the second half of the course—watchable separately but deepened by your engagement with key principles and methods from the first half—explores the many scientific and technological applications of nuclear physics, e.g., understanding accelerators in the first half deepens your understanding of nuclear medicine in the second half.
Throughout these lectures, Dr. Weinstein shows how nuclear physicists think, analyzing problems in a rapid, off-the-cuff style that dispenses with exact numbers in favor of rounding, making the math in the course easy to follow for anyone familiar with exponential notation. Viewers will find Dr. Weinstein’s presentation clear, enthusiastic, and tinged with humor. Plus, Nuclear Physics Explained is richly illustrated with diagrams, charts, and computer animations, as well as lab demonstrations that bring the nuclear realm alive.
Yet despite this continuous exposure, “radiation” is a term that evokes worry and even panic. There are sources of radiation to be concerned about, but true vigilance lies in understanding the physics of the atomic nucleus—an endlessly interesting structure that defines the universe we live in.
Then, of course, there are nuclear weapons, which have arguably kept a fragile peace since the end of World War II, but which also threaten civilization with an unparalleled cataclysm. All of these insights, benefits, and dangers trace to an inconceivably tiny subatomic structure that was unknown until a century ago.
Covering the science, history, hazards, applications, and latest advances in the field, Nuclear Physics Explained is your guide to a subject that is rarely presented at a level suitable for non-scientists. In these 24 eye-opening, half-hour lectures, Professor Lawrence Weinstein of Old Dominion University begins by bringing you straight into the sometimes mind-bending ideas of nuclear physics, and then takes you into the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility to explain the awe-inspiring machines at the forefront of nuclear research—machines he is using in his own work. Then, the second half of the course—watchable separately but deepened by your engagement with key principles and methods from the first half—explores the many scientific and technological applications of nuclear physics, e.g., understanding accelerators in the first half deepens your understanding of nuclear medicine in the second half.
Throughout these lectures, Dr. Weinstein shows how nuclear physicists think, analyzing problems in a rapid, off-the-cuff style that dispenses with exact numbers in favor of rounding, making the math in the course easy to follow for anyone familiar with exponential notation. Viewers will find Dr. Weinstein’s presentation clear, enthusiastic, and tinged with humor. Plus, Nuclear Physics Explained is richly illustrated with diagrams, charts, and computer animations, as well as lab demonstrations that bring the nuclear realm alive.
344 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2018
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 4, 2021
Nuclear Physics Explained was a decent look at the topic. The course is a somewhat typical offering from The Great Courses. This lecture series is 24 lectures; each ~30 mins.
Course Professor Lawrence Weinstein is a Professor of Physics at Old Dominion University (ODU) and a researcher at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his doctorate in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lawrence Weinstein:
I took this course over a few-week period. I made a few notes as I went. Unfortunately, I was not able to make notes on all the lectures. I'll go over the ones I did below.
Lecture 1 gets off to a good start, Weinstein enthusiastically delivers a decent introduction to the course; laying out an explanation of the four forces, briefly covering the periodic table, and talking about the "valley of stability".
In Lecture 2, Professor Weinstein jumps right in; getting very technical from the get-go. I don't feel that he spent the proper time here initiating the unfamiliar with the basic concepts of nuclear physics. This will likely lose many people in the woods. The information missing from this lecture can be found in the course guidebook. I think it should have been part of the course proper.
Lecture 3 does a good job of explaining radiation to the layperson. The lecture also features demonstrations by Professor Weinstein. Effective communication.
Lecture 5 continues talking about radiation. Professor Weinstein educates the viewer on the difference between ionizing and nonionizing radiation. He talks about cell phones, and power lines.
He does this well here.
Lecture 7 talks about The Quantum Nucleus and Magic Numbers. Weinstein takes a sharp turn into the weeds here; rattling off extremely technical jargon that will likely see many listeners completely lost. This was a somewhat common theme in the course.
I did not make notes for lectures 8-24. The course becomes much more technical at this point, and Weinstein really dives into the specific details. He does talk about topics like nuclear fusion and carbon dating with some clarity, fortunately.
Sadly, a common problem with many of these courses is that they assume a level of scientific literacy that likely will not be there in the average viewer of this material. This course should have been made more accessible to the layperson. The prof could have spent just a bit more time educating the average viewer, who is likely unfamiliar with nuclear physics. This is a course to explain nuclear physics, after all...
Unfortunately, many of these lectures don't bring the field of nuclear physics to the layperson in a manner that will be accessible.
So while the material presented here by Weinstein was interesting, and I felt he did a decent job with the course presentation, I am knocking off a few points for his lack of making the material more accessible.
3.5 stars.
Course Professor Lawrence Weinstein is a Professor of Physics at Old Dominion University (ODU) and a researcher at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his doctorate in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lawrence Weinstein:
I took this course over a few-week period. I made a few notes as I went. Unfortunately, I was not able to make notes on all the lectures. I'll go over the ones I did below.
Lecture 1 gets off to a good start, Weinstein enthusiastically delivers a decent introduction to the course; laying out an explanation of the four forces, briefly covering the periodic table, and talking about the "valley of stability".
In Lecture 2, Professor Weinstein jumps right in; getting very technical from the get-go. I don't feel that he spent the proper time here initiating the unfamiliar with the basic concepts of nuclear physics. This will likely lose many people in the woods. The information missing from this lecture can be found in the course guidebook. I think it should have been part of the course proper.
Lecture 3 does a good job of explaining radiation to the layperson. The lecture also features demonstrations by Professor Weinstein. Effective communication.
Lecture 5 continues talking about radiation. Professor Weinstein educates the viewer on the difference between ionizing and nonionizing radiation. He talks about cell phones, and power lines.
He does this well here.
Lecture 7 talks about The Quantum Nucleus and Magic Numbers. Weinstein takes a sharp turn into the weeds here; rattling off extremely technical jargon that will likely see many listeners completely lost. This was a somewhat common theme in the course.
I did not make notes for lectures 8-24. The course becomes much more technical at this point, and Weinstein really dives into the specific details. He does talk about topics like nuclear fusion and carbon dating with some clarity, fortunately.
Sadly, a common problem with many of these courses is that they assume a level of scientific literacy that likely will not be there in the average viewer of this material. This course should have been made more accessible to the layperson. The prof could have spent just a bit more time educating the average viewer, who is likely unfamiliar with nuclear physics. This is a course to explain nuclear physics, after all...
Unfortunately, many of these lectures don't bring the field of nuclear physics to the layperson in a manner that will be accessible.
So while the material presented here by Weinstein was interesting, and I felt he did a decent job with the course presentation, I am knocking off a few points for his lack of making the material more accessible.
3.5 stars.
September 3, 2019
I finally know how the sun works, and a whole lot more. I've learned the difference between fission and fusion and where all that energy is stored or released. I now have a clearer picture of the meaning of E=mc^2, How an MRI works, what carbon (and other isotopes) dating is, etc. It all makes sense.
What mankind has learned to do with the atom and what's been learned from it is simply amazing.
What mankind has learned to do with the atom and what's been learned from it is simply amazing.
November 4, 2019
Pretty good survey course. Definitely intended for an audience with minimal science or engineering background. 24 pretty interesting lectures that begin with some insight into nuclear structure, particles and relationships and ending with applications of nuclear energy to power delivery and medicine. Along the way you get to see some of the devices (cyclotrons, colliders, etc) that are used to study nuclear energy as well as some of the real life devices used to deliver energy.
All in all a pretty interesting course.
All in all a pretty interesting course.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews