Physics for Future Presidents by Muller, Richard A. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents INTRODUCTION I • TERRORISM

1 NINE-ELEVEN

Inspecting Passengers Taking Control Flying and Navigating the Airplane Impact

2 TERRORIST NUKES

Big Nukes The Terrorist Dirty Bomb3 Rogue Nukes Uranium Bombs Plutonium Bombs

3 THE NEXT TERRORIST ATTACK

Future Airplane Gasoline Attacks Bombs on Airplanes

4 BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM

The Anthrax Attack

TERRORISM: PRESIDENTIAL SUMMARY

II • ENERGY

5 KEY ENERGY SURPRISES

Why We Love Oil Power Energy Alternatives The Bottom Line: The Cost of Energy

6 SOLAR POWER

An Anecdote Basic Facts Solar Power Plants Solar Airplanes

7 THE END OF OIL

Oil From Coal: FischerTropsch The Price of Oil

ENERGY: PRESIDENTIAL SUMMARY

III • NUKES

8 RADIOACTIVITY AND DEATH

Radiation and Cancer The Linear Effect The Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Disaster The Linear Hypothesis

9 RADIOACTIVE DECAY

Dangers of Short Versus Long Half-Lives Environmental Radioactivity Horrific Mutations X-Rays and Microwaves Is Radioactivity Contagious?

10 NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The Key to an Explosion: The Nuclear Chain Reaction World War II and the Manhattan Project Critical MassThe First Atomic Secret HiroshimaThe Simple Bomb Design The Hard Part: Purifying Uranium-235 Centrifuges The Plutonium BombAn Implosion Design The Hydrogen Bomb Fallout Big Bombs Smaller Weapons, More Destruction

11 NUCLEAR MADNESS

The Neutron Bomb and the Weapons Paradox Nuclear Proliferation How Worried Should We Be? Nukular Weapons

12 NUCLEAR POWER

Can a Nuclear Reactor Explode Like an Atomic Bomb? Manufacturing Plutonium Fast Breeder Reactors The China Syndrome Three Mile IslandFuel Meltdown ChernobylA Runaway Chain Reaction Pebble Bed Reactors

13 NUCLEAR WASTE

My Confession Plutonium Depleted Uranium

14 CONTROLLED FUSION

Tokamak Laser Fusion Cold Fusion

NUKES: PRESIDENTIAL SUMMARY

IV • SPACE

15 SPACE AND SATELLITES

Satellite Orbits: LEO, GEO, and MEO GPS: A Set of Medium-Earth-Orbit Satellites Spy Satellites Rocket Science

16 GRAVITY APPLICATIONS

gs Using Gravity to Search for Ice, Oil, Hidden Craters, and Secret Tunnels Space Industry: Manufacturing in a Weightless Environment Gravity on the Moon and Asteroids Artificial Gravity The X Prize

17 HUMANS IN SPACE 18 SPYING WITH INVISIBLE LIGHT

Infrared Radiation Remote Sensing of the Earth Military Special Ops Stinger Missiles Radar and Stealth Radar Imaging X-Ray Backscatter

SPACE: PRESIDENTIAL SUMMARY

V • GLOBAL WARMING

19 A BRIEF HISTORY OF CLIMATE

The Climate of the Past 14,000 Years

20 THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Carbon Dioxide Calculating Greenhouse Warming Another Danger: Acid Oceans The Ozone Hole

21 A VERY LIKELY CAUSE

Doing Something About It: Alaska

22 EVIDENCE

Distortion Exaggeration Cherry Picking News Bias The Hockey Stick Carbon Dioxide and Ancient Climate Science and Propaganda

23 NONSOLUTIONS

Hydrogen Hype Electric Automobiles Fusion Solar Power Recycling Kyoto

24 THE FRUIT ON THE GROUND

Comfortable Conservation Compact Fluorescent Lights Cool Colors: When Brown Paint Is White Reason for Optimism: Rosenfelds Law The Fizzling Population Bomb Automobile Efficiency

25 NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Biofuels Concentrating Solar Safe Nukes Clean Coal Carbon Credits Renewable Energy

GLOBAL WARMING: PRESIDENTIAL SUMMARY—THE BUCK STOPS HERE

NOTES Also by Richard A. Muller

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