Atomic energy

Atomic energy or energy of atoms is energy carried by atoms. The term originated in 1903 when Ernest Rutherford began to speak of the possibility of atomic energy. H. G. Wells popularized the phrase "splitting the atom",^{[citation needed]} before discovery of the atomic nucleus.

Atomic energy includes:

Atomic energy is the source of nuclear power, which uses sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. It is also the source of the explosive force of an atomic bomb.