Potassium has several isotopes, but the most notable ones are: 1. **Potassium-39 (⁴⁰K)**: This is the most abundant isotope, making up about 93.26% of natural potassium. It is stable and does not undergo radioactive decay. 2. **Potassium-40 (⁴⁰K)**: This isotope is radioactive and makes up about 0.012% of natural potassium. It has a half-life of approximately 1.
Silicon has several isotopes, which are variations of the silicon atom that have the same number of protons (14) but different numbers of neutrons. The stable isotopes of silicon are: 1. **Silicon-28 (Si-28)**: This is the most abundant isotope, making up about 97.2% of natural silicon. It has 14 protons and 14 neutrons.
Mass-independent fractionation (MIF) is a process that causes isotopes of an element to be distributed in a way that is not solely dependent on their mass. This phenomenon often occurs in specific chemical reactions or under certain environmental conditions, particularly in relation to non-standard isotopic processes. MIF is particularly well-documented in the context of certain elements, such as sulfur, oxygen, and mercury.
Position-specific isotope analysis (PSIA) is a sophisticated analytical technique used primarily in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, and environmental science. This method focuses on measuring the isotopic composition of specific positions within a molecule, allowing researchers to gain insights into the molecular structure, metabolic pathways, and overall origin of the compound being studied.
The stable isotope composition of amino acids refers to the ratio of stable isotopes present in the amino acid molecules. Stable isotopes are non-radioactive variants of elements that have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons. For example, carbon (C) has two stable isotopes: carbon-12 (^12C) and carbon-13 (^13C).
Radiochemistry is a branch of chemistry that deals with the study of radioactive materials, their chemical properties, and their interactions with other substances. It involves the examination of both natural and artificial radioisotopes and encompasses various aspects such as the production, behavior, and detection of radioactive elements. Key areas of focus in radiochemistry include: 1. **Radioactive Decay**: Understanding the processes through which unstable isotopes release energy in the form of radiation.
The Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues is an online resource that provides access to a wide range of information related to nuclear science, technology, and policy. It serves as a comprehensive repository for historical and contemporary documents, research papers, and educational materials pertaining to nuclear issues. The library is named after the Alsos Mission, a World War II effort to investigate and document German nuclear research.
Geometric buckling and material buckling are two concepts in structural engineering and mechanics that describe different failure modes of structures under compressive loads. Here’s a breakdown of each: ### Geometric Buckling **Definition**: Geometric buckling refers to the instability that occurs in slender structures when they reach a critical load, causing a sudden lateral deflection or deformation. This type of buckling is primarily influenced by the geometry or slenderness of the structure rather than the material properties.
Irradiation refers to the process of exposing an object or substance to radiation, which can be in the form of electromagnetic waves (such as gamma rays or X-rays), or particles (such as alpha or beta particles). This process is commonly used in various fields for different purposes: 1. **Food Preservation**: In the food industry, irradiation is a method used to preserve food by killing bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens, as well as to inhibit sprouting and ripening.
A nuclear pumped laser (NPL) is a type of laser that utilizes the energy released from a nuclear reaction to pump the laser medium, thereby generating coherent light. This innovative technology harnesses the high-energy gamma radiation emitted from radioactive materials, typically from a nuclear reaction, to excite the atoms or molecules in the laser medium. ### Basic Principles: 1. **Pumping Mechanism**: In traditional lasers, electrical or optical energy is used to excite the atoms in the gain medium.
A Peaceful Nuclear Explosion (PNE) refers to the detonation of a nuclear device for non-military purposes, specifically for promoting civilian benefits such as large-scale construction projects, geological exploration, or resource extraction. The concept was explored during the Cold War as a way to utilize nuclear technology in beneficial ways while demonstrating the capabilities of nuclear weapons.
A "remote manipulator" refers to a device or system that allows a user to control a robotic arm or similar apparatus from a distance. These manipulators are designed to perform tasks that may be too dangerous, difficult, or impractical for a human to do directly. Remote manipulators are commonly used in various fields, including: 1. **Space Exploration**: Remote manipulators are frequently used on spacecraft and space stations (e.g.
An antineutron is the antimatter counterpart of a neutron. Just like a neutron, which is a neutral baryon consisting of three quarks (two down quarks and one up quark), an antineutron is made up of three antiquarks: two anti-down quarks and one anti-up quark. Antineutrons have the same mass as neutrons but carry opposite quantum numbers.
A cloud chamber is a particle detector that allows scientists to visualize the paths of charged particles, such as electrons or alpha particles, as they traverse a supersaturated vapor of a suitable working fluid (often alcohol or water vapor). Here's how it works: 1. **Supersaturation**: The chamber is filled with vapor and cooled to create a state where the vapor is supersaturated.
A decay chain, also known as a radioactive decay series, refers to a sequence of radioactive decays in which a parent nuclide decays into one or more daughter nuclides. This process continues until a stable nuclide is formed. Each step in the decay chain involves the transformation of one radioactive isotope into another, which may also be radioactive, until all unstable isotopes have decayed into stable ones.
The Journal of Radiation Research is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that focuses on research related to the effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, including studies on radiation biology, radiation physics, and radiation oncology. The journal typically publishes original research articles, review papers, and technical notes that contribute to the understanding of radiation's effects on biological systems and the development of therapeutic approaches in clinical settings.
The Journal of Radiological Protection is a scientific journal that focuses on the field of radiological protection and the associated disciplines. It publishes research articles, reviews, and discussions on topics related to the safe use of radiation, including the protection of people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. The journal covers various aspects of radiological protection, such as radiation risk assessment, regulatory issues, safety protocols, and advancements in radiation measurement and monitoring technologies.
The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) is a nonprofit organization in the United States. Founded in 1929, its primary mission is to provide guidance and recommendations on radiation protection and measurement to ensure the safety and health of individuals and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact