atomic pile

American  

noun

Physics.

1. reactor.

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atomic pile British  

noun

1. the original name for a nuclear reactor

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atomic pile Scientific  

1. An early type of nuclear reactor whose core consisted of layers of graphite block interspersed with uranium, designed to create a sustained fission reaction.

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Etymology

Origin of atomic pile

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atomic pile

But the polonium, which is made by radiating bismuth in an atomic pile, costs about $10 per curie.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tenth anniversary of the first chain reaction in an atomic pile was celebrated at: 1.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tracerlab also began marketing elements which had been made radioactive by insertion in the Oak Ridge atomic pile.

From Time Magazine Archive

Since the 1936 edition, the physicists too have been busy producing words and expressions for everyday use, e.g., atomic pile, chain reaction, Einstein equation and fissionable.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sure enough, conflict between them broke open at the end of January, when Lawrence appeared in Chicago with a proposal to centralize all the plutonium and isotope work, including the atomic pile, at Berkeley.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik