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

Required Essay 3, First Version (RE3v1)

Electronic submission due Wednesday Feb. 20 at 10pm; paper submission due Thursday Feb. 21 at 2pm

For RE3v1 you will write an essay using the scenario and guidelines described below. Your RE3v1 will be graded by your writing lab TA, who will use this rubric. 

Like RE2, the primary learning goal of RE3 is to learn the important technical aspects of nuclear weapons, described below, by writing about them.

Scenario

A group of incoming members of Congress would like to revisit the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, which the U.S. withdrew from in May 2018. These members of Congress have asked the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to provide a report on the scientific background necessary to understand certain aspects of the deal. 

As an analyst at the CRS, your task is to discuss some of the most important nuclear-explosive nuclides, describe how they can be produced and used to create a nuclear explosion, and explain why restricting the availability of nuclear-explosive materials is important for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. Base your report on the information in the slides shown in class and in the readings posted on the Reading Assignments page.

Your report should be between 3 and 4 pages and have the following structure:

1. A brief summary.
2. An introductory paragraph that describes some of the most important nuclear-explosive nuclides.
3. A paragraph that (a) lists the isotope requirements for making a uranium weapon, (b) lists the technologies currently available to produce uranium that meets these requirements, and (c) notes and describes the particular technology that is currently favored.
4. A paragraph that describes the simplest way to create a nuclear explosion using weapons-grade uranium.
5. A paragraph that lists the usually quoted isotope requirements for making a plutonium weapon and describes the technologies used to produce plutonium that meets these requirements.
6. A paragraph that describes how to create a nuclear explosion using weapons-grade plutonium.
7. A paragraph that explains why the production method that is optimal for producing weapons-grade plutonium is incompatible with efficient power generation.
8. A paragraph that describes why it is more difficult to make a bomb using reactor-grade plutonium than using weapons-grade plutonium. Indicate whether it is possible to create a nuclear explosion using reactor-grade plutonium.
9. A final paragraph that explains briefly why restricting the availability of nuclear explosive nuclides is the most effective way to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Guidelines

• Base your essay on the information in the assigned readings "Physics and Technology of Nuclear-Explosive Materials"  and "Reactor-Grade and Weapons-Grade Plutonium in Nuclear Explosives" as well as the current (Spring 2019) class slides on Nuclear Weapons.
• 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. You do not need to define terms that have been defined in previous essays (e.g., RE2) or provide citations for these terms. However, be sure to define all other terms. You do not need to place these definitions in quotes, but you do need to provide citations for them.
• Format:
  • Your report should be between 3 and 4 pages in length, when printed in the format specified in the Phys 280 Style and Format Guide, including the title, headers, and footers.
  • It should have a title that briefly describes the content of the report. The title 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.
  • Two or more sections should follow the summary section. You should not have a section for each point describe above in the scenario; instead, have sections that comprise multiple points which relate to each other. 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, 10-pt 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"), the "Physics and Technology of Nuclear-Explosive Materials" article as "NEM, page #" (e.g., "NEM, page 221"), and the "Reactor-Grade and Weapons-Grade Plutonium in Nuclear Explosives" article as "DOE Pu Report, page #".
  • 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 RE3v1 (described below).

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 RE3v1 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 RE3v1 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 RE3v1
2. Your writer's memo for RE3v1

**submission must be in one file**

Content Learning Goals:

1. Learn the isotope requirements for uranium and plutonium weapons and the technologies currently available to meet these requirements. 
2. Learn how to create a nuclear explosion with uranium and plutonium weapons.
3. Learn how reactor-grade plutonium compares to weapons-grade plutonium in terms of power generation and creating a nuclear explosion.
4. Understand why restricting the availability of nuclear explosive nuclides is the most effective way to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

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, like RE2, an analyst for CRS).
4. Become familiar with the CRS report genre.
5. Learn the Phys 280 style and formatting guidelines.

Required Essay 3, Peer Review of RE3v1

Electronic submission due Sunday Mar. 3 at 10pm

This assignment has a peer review component. You will be asked to review a peer's RE3v1 by i) addressing the questions contained in their writer's memo (describe above) and ii) making at least two substantive comments on their RE3v1, 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 RE3v1, and you will discuss your review with your partner in the Mar. 4 writing lab. 

In the email containg your peer review partner there will also be instructions for finding their RE3v1 submission. Also you will be asked to email your peer review to your partner at the end of your Mar. 4 writing lab.

As stated in the RE3v1 rubric, peer review is 15% of your RE3v1 grade (the points will be added after the Mar. 4 writing labs).

Required Essay 3, Second Version (RE3v2)

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

For RE3v2 you will revise your RE3v1 essay. This revision should address all the comments of your TA and peer review partner. Your RE3v2 will be graded by your writing lab TA, who will use this rubric (different from the RE3v1 rubric above). 

Writer's Memo

In addition to your RE3v2 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 RE3v2
2. Your writer's memo for RE3v2

 **submission must be in one file**

Your paper submission must include:

1. Your RE3v2
2. Your writer's memo for RE3v2
3. Your graded RE3v1 with the writer's memo for RE3v1

 

 

 

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