What exactly is a nuclear bomb?

Question

I've heard of them on TV, etc. but what exactly are they? What damage can they do? Has anyone ever used one, or were they just made for no reason?

Answer 1

A nuclear bomb is an explosive device that causes a complete breakdown of a certain material, most commonly uranium or plutonium. When the material is completely boken down of all bonds and converted to pure energy the destruction is enourmous, considered the most destructive thing humans are currently capable of with that size of material. Remember Einsteins formula of E=mc2 well consider that one of those figures in the speed of light, which is enourmous, so a tiny amount of material has the potential for huge amounts of energy. Only a small amount of the material is converted in this way however, the rest becomes unstable and emits radiation as it decomposes at a atomic level. This nuclear debris is spread over a wide area and is the second part of the bomb, known as fallout.

They were being developed during World War 2 by many sides in a sort of race once it was thought the other side was developing it, however America created trhe first successful bomb with Project Manhatten, and dropped two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively to bring about a Japanese surrender and end World War 2. Since then all nuclear explosions have been weapons tests by various nations as they develop the weapons conducted in remote areas or through nuclear power plant accidents such as Chernobyl, which in that case was a meltdown and not a proper explosion.

Answer 2

A nuclear bomb is a device which uses an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction to liberate a large amount of energy in a small space in a short amount of time.

To create such an uncontrolled nuclear reaction, it is sufficient to assemble a certain amount (a 'critical mass') of either uranium-235 or plutonium-239 into one place, along with a 'nuclear trigger' nearby, and hold these materials together long enough (microseconds will do) to get a nuclear fission explosion.

Two nuclear bombs have been used in warfare, both at the end of World War 2, against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both cities were basically destroyed, and the Japanese surrendered a few days after the second one was dropped.

The bombs were developed by the US, because they were afraid Nazi Germany was working on building such bombs, and if the Nazis had been successful, they would have conquered the world. Before the war, German scientists had been leaders in nuclear fission research. The US project to develop the atomic bomb was called the Manhattan Project.

There is also a more powerful kind of nuclear bomb called a fusion or Hydrogen bomb, which us about one thousand times more powerful than a fission bomb. Fusion bombs use a fission bomb as a trigger, sort of the way you use a blasting cap to set off a stick of dynamite. Fusion bombs have never been used in war.

Answer 3

A nuclear bomb is an explosive devise that is powered by a nuclear reaction. There are two types.

First, there is what they call the atomic bomb, or A-bomb. It is powered by a fission reaction of heavy, radioactive element, such as uranium or plutonium. These are rather destructive and killed over 100000 people in two separate attacks during World War II. (The US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.)

Then there is the hydrogen bomb, or H-bomb. These are powered by fusion reactions of hydrogen (in the form of deuterium) and are far more destructive. Note that it takes an A-bomb to active an H-bomb. So far, none have been used in combat, but if they were, a single one could destroy an entire metropolis, such as New York or Tokyo.

These were made as deterents during the Cold War, when both the United States and the Soviet Union had the technology to construct them. It meant that a war between the two was likely to inflict severe damage to both nations (causalties in the tens or hundreds of millions each), but it probably prevented any kind of war between the two as well. They are still around, but in lower quantities, but their use is less likely.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Hi adrienne.love

First lets review what a nuclear reaction is. You recall that an atom is made up of a nucleus surrounded by electrons in a fuzzy probability cloud. The nucleus itself contains protons and neutrons. IN a nuclear reaction you bombard the nucleus and make it either split (nuclear fission) or join with another nucleus (nuclear fusion) to make a different atomic nucleus. In either case the fission or fusion also releases a great deal of energy.

To trigger a nuclear reaction you need to bombard the nucleus with something. Usually that something is a fast moving energetic particle. Sometimes the triggering particle is itself the product of a nuclear reaction, and can be used to trigger another reaction, which triggers another, etc. If you have enough reactive material then the reaction can become self sustaining (ie it produces enough trigger particles to keep reactions going by itself), and enough the self sustaining reaction is uncontrolled then it can become critical and be explosive.

IN a standard nuclear device powered by nuclear fission three pieces of reactive material (usually uranium or plutonium) are used. Each piece of material is below the critical mass required for an explosively self sustaining reaction. The pieces are placed near each other and surorunded by conventional explosives. A conventional explosion acts as a trigger to slamm the pieces together and compress them, starting a critical runaway fission reaction. The reaction quickly consumes the reactive material and enormous amounts of energy are released explosively.

IN a thermonuclear or fusion bomb a third layer of fusable material (generally hydrogen) is placed inside the fissile material (uranium). The fission reaction is used to generate the enormous temperatures required to start a runaway hydrogen fusion reaction which is even more destructive (hydrogen fusion is what powers our sun).

The damage done by nuclear weapons is in two stages. The first stage is the blast damage which consists of an initial radiation flash (gamma, x-ray, UV and bright light), shockwave and heat blast. The second stage is the release of radioactive materials (products of the reactions) into the local soil, atmosphere and any nearby life forms.


Hope this helps!
The Chicken

Answer 5

The nuclear bomb, exactly, is man's worst invention. And yes two nuclear bombs have been dropped on innocent people in order to bring Japan to it's knees thus ending the conflict in the Pacific in 1945. Nagasaki and Hiroshima, bombed by the Americans, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Murder on a scale of Mass Destruction, using weapons of Mass Destruction. Once the killer has pulled the trigger, isn't it a given that it becomes easier to pull the trigger again? Can we really trust Generals to seek Peace? Aren't the war mongers the ones with the weapons? Nuclear bombs are still used today, only in a more passive manner if that is possible considering the destruction they deliver. Depleted Uranium weapons and bombs are in the arsenals and are used by several countries. These weapons are simply more weapons of mass destruction. Not only do they destroy their original target(burning through like 8 inches of steel armor on tanks in a split second then exploding and burning all the occupants to death, at least those that somehow didn't die from the initial explosion). Then after exploding all the debris and shrapnel is contaminated with the depleted uranium (that is still radio-active) and continues to contaminate the entire environment for decades to come. Ground water and farm soils are ruined by these weapons. Many farmers and their families in Iraq now live each day drinking and eating radiation contaminated water and food that is making them sick and will eventually shorten their lives and put them in early graves from cancer and radiation illness.

Answer 6

At the risk of having the Department of Homeland Security show up at my door, the fundamentals of nuclear weapon design are these:

All matter is largely empty space, the comparatively vast distances that exist between atomic nuclei. What a nuclear weapon does, through the use of either of two different designs -- the "shotgun" and implosion methods -- is squeeze as much of that empty space out of the fissile material (either Plutonium 239, or Uranium 235), so that the subatomic neutron particles from the first few nuclei to split (3 neutrons per nucleus) will propagate: 3 splitting nine, splitting twenty-seven, splitting eighty-one, and so forth; quintillions of nuclei split in a fraction of a second -- a critical mass -- releasing immense amounts of energy. That is a nuclear explosion (a thermonuclear, or hydrogen, bomb surrounds this mechanism with deuterium and tritium, heavy isotopes of hydrogen; the intense heat of the initial fission explosion fuses the nuclei together to form helium atoms. Thermonuclear fusion produces far more energy than the equivalent mass used for fission).

Depending on the bomb type ('shotgun" or implosion), the minimum amount of fissionable material needed for a critical mass is 15 kilograms for U-235, and 10 kg for P-239.

Don't try to build one of these in your garage.

Answer 7

Nuclear guns artwork on the most of genuinely replacing mass into ability. truly once you chop up a heavy atom, it releases ability. On a extra in-intensity element, imagine of the atom as a Jenga set with a set of blocks bumped off. in case you threw a marble at it, it would fall down because it really is inherently risky. This idea applies the guns grade uranium and plutonium, with the extra results of once you throw the marble (a neutron) on the Jenga set (an atom), it releases ability quite a few orders of importance extra effectual than any commonly used explosive. on the reply as 2 what takes position in case you position one contained in the sea, genuinely it creates a mini-tsunami because of the stress shockwave and flash boils lots of the water contained in the prompt position of the bomb effectively cooking the marine existence for miles. A nuclear bomb can blow up both an excellent section, or little or no depending on the yield (capacity of the weapon) and the weapon configuration itself. Nuclear fallout is likewise depending on the weapon used jointly with variables inclusive of wind varieties, type of nuclear gasoline used and correct at which the weapon detonates. at present on North Korea actively checks nuclear guns, even besides the undeniable fact that many countries safeguard nuclear stockpiles. between them are america of a, Russia, England, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and China.

Answer 8

during world war two the Americans dropped two on japan. 100000 people died. right now they're so powerful that a couple might be able to destroy the world.

nuclear bombs have uranium inside. right now they're in missile form and when they're about 200 yards from the earth the explode. inside an automatic devise makes a little flame which makes the uranium explode.

Answer 9

A dangerous item, which produces lot of energy to destroy life. Only USA used it in Japan and in its depleted form in Afghnistan and Iraq. Developed by Germans and used by Americans. Although many countries have it, but flag is at the hats of USA Governmnet to use it against humans.

Answer 10

a nuclear bomb is like a regular bomb but with nucleus