Nuclear Choices: A Citizen's Guide to Nuclear Technology / Edition 2

by Richard Wolfson

Overview

The benefits of nuclear technology are real. So are the dangers. In Nuclear Choices, physicist Richard Wolfson provides the background needed to make informed choices about nuclear technologies, introducing concepts that can be used for evaluating the claims of both proponents and opponents. Wolfson clearly and concisely explains the basics of nuclear energy, radiation, and nuclear power (electricity, reactors, nuclear waste, and alternatives to nuclear fission). For this edition he has completely revised the chapter on nuclear weapons (their history, technology, effects, delivery systems, strategy, and control). Readers are encouraged to make their own judgments on controversial nuclear issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262731089
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	11/09/1993
Series:	New Liberal Arts Series
Edition description:	revised edition
Pages:	488
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Richard Wolfson is Professor of Physics at Middlebury College.

What People are Saying About This

J. Ronald Spencer

Wolfson's book is exceptionally well-written. The prose has a force and vigor that one rarely finds in textbooks or scholarly monographs. The explanations of basic physics strike this layman as clear and readily accessible to 'non-science' students. Finally, Wolfson takes considerable pains to present controversial issues in a carefully balanced fashion, showing that they are often far more complex, far more beset by ambiguity and uncertainty, than fervent pro- and anti-nuclear activists would have us think.

Endorsement

Wolfson's book is exceptionally well-written. The prose has a force and vigor that one rarely finds in textbooks or scholarly monographs. The explanations of basic physics strike this layman as clear and readily accessible to 'non-science' students. Finally, Wolfson takes considerable pains to present controversial issues in a carefully balanced fashion, showing that they are often far more complex, far more beset by ambiguity and uncertainty, than fervent pro- and anti-nuclear activists would have us think.

—J. Ronald Spencer, Associate Academic Dean Trinity College

From the Publisher

"A real addition to the growing body of literature on nuclear issues, this highly reliable and sensitive guide is recommended for scholars, activists, and citizens seeking to understand a complex set of issues too often 'left to the experts.'" Jennifer Scarlott, Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

An invaluable resource for readers who wish to make informed decisions of their own.

—Science News

From the Publisher

An invaluable resource for readers who wish to make informed decisions of their own.

Science News

Initially conceived by physicist Wolfson for his students at Middlebury College, this book provides a wonderfully lucid and comprehensive examination of nuclear technologies that is both accessible to lay readers and interesting to scholars in the field. The author explains the basic concepts of nuclear energy, nuclear power (electricity, reactors, nuclear waste, and energy alternatives), and nuclear weapons (their technology, history, effects, delivery systems, strategy , and control). Each chapter includes a glossary, brief summary of the main ideas, a well-chosen list of further readings, and excerpts from newspaper articles that provide a lively political context for each topic. A real addition to the growing body of literature on nuclear issues, this highly reliable and sensitive guide is recommended for scholars, activists, and citizens seeking to understand a complex set of issues too often ``left to the experts.''-- Jennifer Scarlott, World Policy Inst., New York

Library Journal

Wolfson (physics and liberal arts, Middlebury College) has revised his rational and credible 1991 edition. His good sense will distress the anti-nuclear groups. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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