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How Nuclear Bombs Work

How Nuclear Bombs Work . By: Joy Mihanni and Amanda Kepper. “I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb . Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the earth will be killed. “ –Albert Einstein. Introduction. Nuclear bombs have incredible destructive

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How Nuclear Bombs Work

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  1. How Nuclear Bombs Work By: Joy Mihanni and Amanda Kepper “I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the earth will be killed. “ –Albert Einstein

  2. Introduction Nuclear bombs have incredible destructive power, but how do they work? Throughout this presentation, you will learn about the physics that makes a nuclear bomb so powerful, how nuclear bombs are designed and what happens after a nuclear explosion.

  3. FISSION AND FUSION Nuclear bombs involve the forces, strong and weak, that hold the nucleus of an atom together, especially atoms with unstable nuclei. There are two basic ways that nuclear energy can be released from an atom. • ONE is nuclear fission - You can split the nucleus of an atom into two smaller fragments with a neutron. This method usually involves isotopes of uranium (uranium-235, uranium-233) or plutonium-239. • TWO is nuclear fusion -You can bring two smaller atoms, usually hydrogen or hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, tritium), together to form a larger one (helium or helium isotopes); this is how the sun produces energy. In fission or fusion, large amounts of heat energy and radiation are given off.

  4. The nuclear reaction When a uranium-235 nucleus comes in contact with a neutron, the nucleus captures the neutron, and it splits into two lighter atoms. The nucleus then throws off two or three new neutrons (the number of ejected neutrons depends on how the U-235 atom happens to split). The two new atoms then emit gamma radiation as they settle into their new state. An incredible amount of energy is later on released, in the form of heat and gamma radiation, when an atom splits. The energy released by a single fission is due to the fact that the fission products and the neutrons, together, weigh less than the original U-235 atom.

  5. Building an atomic bomb • To build an atomic bomb you need: • A source of fissionable or fusion able fuel • A triggering device • A way to allow the majority of fuel to fission or fuse before the explosion occurs (otherwise the bomb will “fizz” out)

  6. The first atomic bomb explosion Did you know that per unit volume, an atom bomb may be millions or billions of times more powerful than TNT? It’s true! The first atomic explosion occurred on July 16, 1945 at the Alamogordo Test Range in New Mexico, during a test called Trinity. It was developed during the top secret Manhattan Project, which was directed by General Leslie R. Groves of the US Army. A small monument now marks the site where the atomic bomb was placed on a 100-foot steel tower and exploded.

  7. Bibliography • Freudenrich, Craig C. "How Nuclear Bombs Work." How Stuff Works. 15 Nov. 2007. 13 Nov. 2007 <http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-bomb.htm>. • Anissimov, Michael. "How Does an Atomic Bomb Work?" WiseGeek. Mar. 2007. Conjecture Corporation. 15 Nov. 2007 <http://www.wisegeek.com/how-does-an-atomic-bomb-work.htm>. • "Atomic Bomb Quotes." Think Exist. 1 Oct. 2007. Google. 15 Nov. 2007 <http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/atomic_bomb/>.

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