ABSTRACT
Nuclear engineering is based in part on the observation that when the nucleus of a Uranium or Plutonium atom splits apart, the particles leaving the reaction have a lower mass than the particles entering the reaction. This mass difference can then be used to find the amount of energy ΔE released. The Periodic Table can be thought of as an Atomic and Nuclear Roadmap that conveniently organizes all of the elements in the universe into a simple and easy-to-understand table. In addition to the number of protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus, there are still other factors that contribute to the value of the atomic weight. The next most important factor in determining the atomic weight is the nuclear binding energy that holds the nucleus together. The entire nuclear power industry owes its existence to an interesting design feature of the elements in the Periodic Table called the "mass defect.".
