Course Details in 2022/23 Session

Module Title	LI Nuclear Physics & Nuclear Power
School	Metallurgy and Materials
Department	Metallurgy & Materials
Module Code	04 31189
Module Lead	Sam Cruchley
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	10
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-30 hours Guided independent study-70 hours Total: 100 hours
Exclusions
Description	Particles and Nuclei: Introduces the fundamental (as we understand them) constituents of matter, their energies, and the forces and laws through which they interact. These are used to explain topics including nuclear decays, fission and fusion. Nuclear Physics – An introduction to the topic of nuclear physics. It will explore the nuclear mass, size and shape, along with reactions and decay mechanisms. The process of energy generation using nuclear fusion and fission will be described together with medical applications and detection of nuclear radiation. This links to the following statement in the 2017 QAA Materials Subject Benchmark Statement: 3.7 iii physics: a broad foundation in physics for understanding and characterising materials' structures and properties, including solid-state physics, waves and optics, electronics, and mechanics
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Describe the Standard Model of particle physics, the quark model of hadrons, and explain how the properties of the forces are related to those of the vector bosons; Apply conservation laws to particle interactions and perform calculations using relativistic kinematics to evaluate energies, momenta and masses, including for fission and fusion applications; Describe nuclear stability and reactions in terms of binding energy and apply selection rules and Q-values to radioactive decays; Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of the strong force and its effect on nuclear properties such as mass, and the determination of the nuclear size and shape; Describe the functionality of a range of radiation detectors. Demonstrate an awareness of a range of applications of nuclear techniques; These link to the AHEP v4 learning outcomes Apply knowledge of mathematics, statistics, natural science and engineering principles to the solution of complex problems. Some of the knowledge will be at the forefront of the particular subject of study (C1) Design solutions for complex problems that meet a combination of societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate. This will involve consideration of applicable health & safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards (C5) Use a risk management process to identify, evaluate and mitigate risks (the effects of uncertainty) associated with a particular project or activity (C9/M9) Adopt a holistic and proportionate approach to the mitigation of security risks (C10/M10) Apply knowledge of engineering management principles, commercial context, project and change management, and relevant legal matters including intellectual property rights (C15/M15)
Assessment	31189-02 : Exam : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Written Unseen (80%) 31189-03 : Coursework : Coursework (20%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessments: 80% exam + 20% continuous assessment Reassessment: 100% exam
Other
Reading List