ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
R. J. Howerton, R. J. Doyas
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 46 | Number 3 | December 1971 | Pages 414-416
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE71-A22378
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Terrell proposed, in 1959, a relationship between the mean energy of a fission spectrum and the average number of neutrons resulting from fission. Using the relationship between the mean energy of fission neutrons and the Maxwellian temperature of the fission spectrum, his relationship can be written as We have used a weighted least squares method to obtain values for a and b from available experimental determinations of Tm or its equivalent. The values we obtain are a = 0.353, b = 0.510. We have also fit the relationship obtaining values for c and d of 0.997 and 0.125, respectively. The goodness-of-fit criteria are essentially the same for the two representations. Terrell’s relationship was derived from theoretical considerations, but there is no theoretical basis for the linear representation.
