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What weapon is a nuclear weapon?

Updated: 8/17/2019
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Wiki User

12y ago

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It is a bomb or explosive that relies on either nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to release a tremendous amount of energy.

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A nuclear weapon is any weapon that derives its energy from some combination of nuclear fission and/or nuclear fusion. All current nuclear weapons are dependent on at least some nuclear fission to begin things.

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Wiki User

8y ago
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Wiki User

12y ago

actually nuclear weapons include all sorts of stuff like bombs,missiles and etc

EDIT:

A nuclear weapon is a bomb or missile which harnesses the power of nuclear fusion or nuclear fission to create a large explosion. They also spread extremely harmful radiation throughout the area. Atomic bombs, used in World War II, are fission bombs, less powerful bu cheaper than fusion bombs, such as hydrogen bombs, which are ~10,000 times more powerful.

And may I add the difference between the Fat Man and Little Boy? The Fat Man, was the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima (I believe I am correct) while The Little Boy was the Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. The difference between these two bombs are the materials used, as well as the explosion method. The Fat Man used Uranium while the Little Boy used Plutonium (I really hope I am correct) and that is the difference between explosion, and implosion. Not many people understand the catastrophe of a nuclear war/nuclear testing. If there was to be nuclear war, even if you were to survive, you would have to undergo a nuclear winter, which basically freezes everything, and even after the nuclear winter is gone, the ozone layer would be practically destroyed, therefore making the suns rays more powerful than ever... So, If I were to survive, I would make sure to carry a lethal injection everywhere I go, and this isn't even counting a Zombie Apocalypse... Don't get me started.... Haha.

EDIT:

The difference between Fat Man and Little Boy was that Little Boy plunged a bar of Plutonium through a reactive substance inside the bomb, which started the chain reaction, whereas Fat Man used a standard bomb style explosion. The reason Fat Man was hard to develop was that if the plutonium was exploded, it would burn up before a chain reaction occurred. So they had to use explosives outside the Plutonium to cause an implosion, which would cause a chain reaction. Little Boy was dropped first, on Hiroshima, and Fat Man was dropped second, on Nagasaki.

Both of these were Atomic Bombs, or A-Bombs, unlike the Hydrogen Bombs, or H-Bombs, we use now. The difference is that A-Bombs use nuclear fission, whereas H-Bombs use nuclear fusion, which does indeed release 10,000 times as much energy.

The basic concept behind both processes is the turning of matter into energy, which releases an amount of energy determined by the formula E=mc2, E being amount of energy, m the mass which is "destroyed", and c the speed of light in a vacuum. So even though it destroys mere atoms of matter, it produces a lot of energy.

Thank You for correcting me... Sorry I was so spot off...

Still off.

  • Little Boy was a Uranium gun assembly bomb, using a small cannon to fire a bullet into a target making a supercritical mass and crushing 4 neutron sources to start the chain reaction.
  • Fat Man was a Plutonium implosion assembly bomb, using shaped charge explosive lenses (fast Composition-B & slow Baratol) to crush the material into a supercritical mass and crushing a neutron source at the center to start the chain reaction.

It is impractical to build Plutonium gun assembly bombs as the cannon would have to be much to long to get the assembly speed fast enough to prevent predetonation fizzle.

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