PHYS 280 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Required Essay 2, First Version (RE2v1)

Electronic submission due Wednesday Jan. 30 at 10pm; paper submission due Thursday Jan. 31 at 2pm

For RE2v1 you will write an essay using the scenario and guidelines described below. Your RE2v1 will be graded by your writing lab TA, who will use this rubric. 

The primary learning goal of RE2 is to learn the important technical aspects of nuclear weapons, described below, by writing about them.

Scenario

You are an analyst for the Congressional Research Service in the early 1940s, and representatives from President Roosevelt have asked you to write a brief report for a select group of senators and representatives. Funding for the Manhattan Project must be kept almost entirely hidden from members of Congress, but the support of these select individuals will help push certain funding measures through and allow the project to proceed without undue pressure or curiosity from the rest of the legislative branch. 

These members of Congress require some preliminary scientific background on this project. In your report you should brief these individuals on the following: 

1. What is the definition of a fissionable nuclide? A fissile nuclide? A fertile nuclide? In your explanation, list an example of a fissile nuclide, an example of a fissionable nuclide that is not fissile, and an example of a fertile nuclide.
2. What is the definition of a nuclear-explosive nuclide? Of a nuclear-explosive material? Are all fissile nuclides nuclear-explosive nuclides? Explain why some nuclides that are not fissile are nevertheless nuclear-explosive. In your explanation, list an example of an important nuclear-explosive nuclide that is not fissile.
3. Explain in one or two paragraphs the basic, general requirements for achieving a nuclear explosion using nuclear explosive material. Do not go into any of the details of particular weapon designs.
4. Explain in one paragraph why the energy released in a nuclear explosion is much greater than the energy released in the explosion of a conventional bomb. In a separate paragraph illustrating the magnitude of energy release of a nuclear explosion, suggest a concrete scenario for the use of a nuclear weapon in the ongoing war effort (World War II).

Guidelines

• Base your essay on the information in the assigned reading "Physics and Technology of Nuclear-Explosive Materials" and the current (Spring 2019) class slides on Nuclear Weapons.
• Your answer to the third point in the Scenario section above should constitute approximately 1/3 of your report.
• Professional Genre Considerations​
  • You will be graded on the content and clarity of your report as well as your ability to conform to the writing style of a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report—see the rubric. Here are two examples of CRS reports: Primer on Nuclear Cooperation and Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons. These reports are much longer than yours will be and are meant to only be examples of format (i.e., section headers) and style.
  • In writing your essay, assume that your reader is a college-educated member of congress who is familiar with the material that has been presented in the lecture-discussions and the material in the readings that have already been assigned, but be sure to define all the terms you are asked to define in the prompt above. You do not need to place these definitions in quotes, but you do need to provide citations for them.
• Format:
  • Your report should be 2 pages in length, when printed in the format specified in the Phys 280 Style and Format Guide, including the title, headers, and footers.
  • The title should briefly describe the content of the report. It should be centered, bolded, and 16-pt font.
  • After the title, include a brief (2-4 sentence) summary of the content of your report. Include a left-aligned “Summary” heading to clearly indicate this section. The heading should be left-aligned, bolded, and 14-pt font.
  • Four additional sections should follow the summary section. Each section corresponds to one of the points described in the Scenario above. Each section requires a section heading that is left-aligned, bolded, and 14-pt font. Headings should be brief.
  • Key terms should be in bold the first time you use them.
• Citation of sources:
  • Use footnotes for citations. Footnotes should be in Times New Roman, 10pt font.
  • You do not need to give citations when the information you use is common knowledge. In deciding what is common knowledge, consider what could be known by a typical University of Illinois student (not enrolled in Phys 280). If in doubt, include a citation.
  • The sources you are to use are clearly specified in the first bullet point.
  • You should refer to the Phys 280 course slides as "19p280 Nuclear Weapons, slide #" (e.g., "19p280 Nuclear Weapons, slide 15") and the "Physics and Technology of Nuclear-Explosive Materials" article as "NEM, page #" (e.g., "NEM, page 221"). The page numbers for the article are 221-226.
  • Do not include a bibliography or a list of references.
• Follow all the specifications described in the Phys 280 Style and Format Guide.
• Please refer to the resources tab for more guidance on revision. 
• Don't forget to include the writer's memo for RE2v1 (described below and different from RE1).

Writer's Memo

Professional writers often ask for feedback on their written products from their peers. This feedback is most productive when one requests comments on specific points or sections. 

For the RE2v1 writer's memo, please compose 3-5 questions that your peer review partner will respond to. These questions can be related to content, style, or grammar. For example, you could ask for clarification on some aspect in the points described in the Scenario section above, or you could also ask if your paper has adequately adhered to the CRS report genre.

The writer's memo for RE2v1 will facilitate the peer review (see below) component of this assignment. Please see the Phys 280 Style and Format Guide for additional instructions on the formatting of the writer's memo.

Your submission must include:

1. Your RE2v1
2. Your writer's memo for RE2v1

**submission must be in one file**

Content Learning Goals:

1. Learn the different types of relevant nuclides pertaining to nuclear weapons and examples of them.
2. Learn the general requirements to achieve a nuclear explosion.
3. Understand how a nuclear explosion compares to explosions from conventional bombs.

Writing Learning Goals:

1. Recognize that course concepts can be learned by writing about them.
2. Recognize the value of peer review
3. Continue to develop your ability to assume a professional role (in this case, an analyst for CRS).
4. Become familiar with the CRS report genre.
5. Learn the Phys 280 style and formatting guidelines.

Required Essay 2, Peer Review of RE2v1

Electronic submission due Sunday Feb. 3 at 10pm

This assignment has a peer review component. You will be asked to review a peer's RE2v1 by i) addressing the questions contained in their writer's memo (describe above) and ii) making at least two substantive comments on their RE2v1, preferably using the review feature of Microsoft Word. These comments can address an issue with content, style, or grammar; they could also praise an exceptional aspect of the paper. Your partner will be assigned via email after you submit RE2v1, and you will discuss your review with your partner in the Feb. 4 writing lab. The peer review is due on Feb. 4 at 10am via electronic submission.

After the RE2v1 due date, you will receive an email with your partner and instructions on finding their RE2v1 submission. Also you will be asked to email your peer review to your partner at the end of your Feb. 4 writing lab.

As stated in the RE2v1 rubric, peer review is 10% of your RE2v1 grade (the points will be added after the Feb. 4 writing labs).

Required Essay 2, Second Version (RE2v2)

Electronic submission due Wednesday Feb. 6 at 10pm; paper submission due Thursday Feb. 7 at 2pm

For RE2v2 you will revise your RE2v1 essay. This revision should address all the comments of your TA and peer review partner. Your RE2v2 will be graded by your writing lab TA, who will use this rubric (different from the RE2v1 rubric above). 

Writer's Memo

In addition to your RE2v2 essay please submit a brief statement (5-10 sentences) that describes how you incorporated your TA and peer review partner's feedback and, if appropriate, explains why you did not incorporate any feedback that you chose to ignore. 

Please see the Phys 280 Style and Format Guide for additional instructions on the formatting of the writer's memo.

Your electronic submission must include:

1. Your RE2v2
2. Your writer's memo for RE2v2

 **submission must be in one file**

Your paper submission must include:

1. Your RE2v2
2. Your writer's memo for RE2v2
3. Your graded RE2v1 with the writer's memo for RE2v1

 

 

 

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