how do nukes work?

Question

like on impact

Answer 1

20 shaped charges of conventional high explosive are arranged in a dodecahedron and set to blow inward on a spherical tamper made of uranium 238. Upon the detonation of the shaped charges, the tamper material is crushed inward, accelerating to supersonic speed, and slamming on a sphere of uranium 235 or plutonium 239 (either of which is fissile). The impact compresses the fissile material beyond critical density, which means that most of the neutrons emerging from nuclear decays of the fissile substance don't escape, but instead trigger new nuclear reactions in a runaway chain.

Usually, some liquid tritium or tritium/deuterium bearing compound (lithium deuteride, lithium tritide) is placed inside the fissile core material. This is a miniature fusion bomb that is meant to contribute neutrons to the fission reaction and make it more complete.

So far, I've only discussed boosted fission bombs. The big nukes are thermonuclear bombs, which means there's a container of tritium inside a housing alongside the boosted fission bomb. The material of the housing is again something like uranium 238, and it is shaped to reflect the alpha and gamma radiation from the fission bomb in such a way that it all smacks into the tritium capsule in the same microsecond.

(There's actually radiation shielding inside the housing between the boosted fission bomb and the tritium capsule, to slow down the radiation that starts toward it in a straight line.)

Answer 2

first of all no nuke droped on a plane explodes on impact, they are detonated in the air.

step #1 bullet trigered fission bomb: there is a U^235 core and a U^235 bullet.

#2 The bullet is at critical mass , when it is fires it is then lodged through the U^238 tamper and reaches the core and reaches super criticality. then the fision begins.

#3 the fission is contained in the tamper for about 560 billionths of a second and then explodes. And every body dies.

there are many types of other nukes, and i know how they work, but that would take hours to list. E-mail me if you want to know the other kinds and how they work at "[e-mail]"

Answer 3

a nuke raises the temperature of anything within the blast radius to several thousand degrees causing it to instantly disintegrate. Nuclear weapons do not actually impact the ground but explode above it causing more damage.

Answer 4

That would only be a trigger. They are much more damaging if they are airburst nukes. A directed explosion splits atomic matter, causing a chain reaction with fisable material.

Answer 5

Well they are either fission or fusion and they work by the spliting of atoms or fusing of atoms, which causes heat and energy to release which results in a BIG BANG... Be Cool..

Answer 6

THERE IS ALOT TO ECPLAIN!!!!!!!!!!

FIRST URANIUM IS TIGHTLY PACKED INTO THE WARHEAD.
THENA HAMMER LIKE ON A REVOLVER IS INSTALLED. THEN THE MISSLE IS ARMED. THEN FIRED. WHEN AT THE ALTITUDE THAT THE LAUNCHER HAS SET THE HAMMER EGNITES GUNPODER AND THE HAMMER HITS THE URAMIUM AND LIGHTS IT ON FIRE THE BOOM NO MORE PEOPLE.

Answer 7

go to www.howstuffworks.com it will tell you everything.

Answer 8

www.howstuffworks.com

Answer 9

plane flies..............................plane drops bomb...........................KABOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! everybody dies :)