Beginning of Essay
From Theory to Practice The nuclear age began in Germany, in the 1930s in the lab of chemist Otto Hahn. Hahn was attempting to produce radium (In great need during the war) by bombarding uranium atoms with neutrons. To his surprise, he ended up with a much l ....

Middle of Essay
.... heavy water, the scientists applied their knowledge and their heavy water to the new Canadian nuclear industry. On September 5th, 1945 near Ottawa the team started up the first operating nuclear reactor outside the USA. Of course, the output was minuscule, but the significance was immense; the principal of getting energy from splitting atoms in a controlled chain reaction (fission) was established beyond doubt. It was now the job of the scientists and engineers to put it to a practical use. Nuclear Reactors A nuclear reactor is a device which produces heat. In a nuclear power station, the reactor performs the same function as a boiler i ....