Skip to main content

How do nuclear power plants work? - M. V. Ramana and Sajan Saini

3,164,274 Views

45,600 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Our ability to mine great amounts of energy from uranium nuclei has led some to bill nuclear power as a plentiful, utopian source of electricity. But rather than dominate the global electricity market, nuclear power has declined from a high of 18% in 1996 to 11% today. What happened to the great promise of this technology? M.V. Ramana and Sajan Saini detail the challenges of nuclear power.

Plutonium is a radioactive material, exposure to which is hazardous to human health, and is one of the few materials that can be used to make a nuclear weapon. The time it takes for half of any initial quantity of plutonium to decay into stable non-radioactive products is roughly:

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Sajan Saini , M.V. Ramana
  • Director Will Mackenzie, Kat Gusarova
  • Animator Will Mackenzie, Kat Gusarova
  • Layout Artist Marlene Andersson
  • Producer The Animation Workshop
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

More from Inventions that Shape History