Nuclear Physics
Melvyn Bragg discusses the controversial 20th century scientific breakthrough and development of nuclear physics, which harnesses the enigmatic qualities of the atom鈥檚 core to create nuclear power.
Melvyn Bragg examines one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, and certainly the most controversial; the development of nuclear physics. Harnessing the enigmatic qualities of the atom鈥檚 tiny core brought us nuclear power and gave us The Bomb, a breakthrough with such far-reaching consequences that it moved the physicist Albert Einstein to say, 鈥淗ad I known, I should have become a watch maker鈥.How can such outlandish power be released from such infinitesimal amounts of matter and what does the science of the nucleus tell us about how our universe is built? Nuclear technology provokes strong emotional and political reactions, but what are the plain facts behind its development as a science? With Jim Al-Khalili, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Surrey; Christine Sutton, Particle Physicist and Lecturer in Physics at St Catherine鈥檚 College Oxford; John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Thu 10 Jan 2002 09:02麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 4
- Thu 10 Jan 2002 21:30麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 4
Featured in...
20th Century—In Our Time
Browse the 20th Century era within the In Our Time archive.
Science—In Our Time
Scientific principles, theory, and the role of key figures in the advancement of science.
In Our Time podcasts
Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.
The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10
If you鈥檙e new to In Our Time, this is a good place to start.
Arts and Ideas podcast
Download the best of Radio 3's Free Thinking programme.
Podcast
-
In Our Time
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.