The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Uranium is a dense, silvery metallic element with the highest atomic mass of any naturally occurring element. It is the forty-seventh most abundant element in the earth's crust. All of the isotopes of uranium are radioactive, which accounts for a portion of the background radiation that is a natural part of the environment. In the 1930s, scientists discovered that one isotope of uranium, uranium-235, could be fissioned, or split. This information brought about a revolution in human society. The potential for nuclear fission is demonstrated by the fact that it has made possible not only the world's most destructive weapons, but also the generation of energy in a new way. Regardless of the purpose for which it is used, nuclear fission has created severe waste disposal problems which the world is struggling to solve.
High-Level Radioactive Waste; Nuclear Power; Nuclear Weapons; Radioactive Waste; Radioactivity