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How do you get nuclear weapons atomic bombs from nuclear fission?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
fission is the nuclear reaction that makes both bombs and reactors possible.
- if a mass of fissile material is subcritical, its neutron multiplication factor is less than 1 and any chain reaction started in it will die out with only a small release of heat and radiation.
- if a mass of fissile material is exactly critical, its neutron multiplication factor is exactly 1 and a chain reaction started in it will be sustained at a constant rate. this can be used as a nuclear reactor.
- if a mass of fissile material is supercritical, its neutron multiplication factor is greater than 1 and a chain reaction started in it will accelerate out of control until it either melts (a fizzle) or explodes (a detonation). this can be used as a bomb.
to make a nuclear bomb you also need 2 other things:
- a rapid assembly system using chemical explosives to convert a subcritical mass to a supercritical mass fast enough to prevent a fizzle caused by either stray neutrons or spontaneous fission.
- a neutron source to fire neutrons into the resulting supercritical mass at the optimal time to get an explosion of the desired yield. advancing or retarding the firing of the neutron source will reduce yield from the maximum possible with a given design.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
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What is mean atomic war?
This is a war fought using Atomic weapons. Atomic weapons are weapons that use Nuclear fission explostion producing tremendous pressure and radiation. Later nuclear weapons were called hydrogen bombs that use nuclear fussion.
Where does fission occour?
Nuclear fission occurs in fission reactors, a type of nuclear reactor, and in fission bombs, more commonly knows as atomic bombs.
What is the difference between a atomic submarine and a nuclear submarine?
Nothing but the terminology. "Atomic" was the term used in the early days of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. "Nuclear" (describing the fission process of nuclear power and nuclear weapons) became the term when fusion bombs became reality, as Atomic can refer to both fission and fusion processes.
Atomic bombs are the result of what nuclear reaction?
fission and/or fusion
Did atomic bombs work by atomic fission?
all nuclear explosives use some fission. even now.
Are atomic bombs different from nuclear bombs?
Both basically are the same, they can be fission or fusion bombs like Uranium,Plutonium and Hydrogen bombs. A general description would be that atomic bombs are fission bombs. Nuclear bombs are fusion bombs. Fusion bombs are more powerful weight for weight
What kind of nuclear reaction does an atomic bomb use?
Fission bombs use fission. Fusion bombs use fusion. Although atomic bomb is usually used for fission bombs, it technically applies equally to either.
Does Iraq have any nuclear weapons such as atomic bombs?
no
Is nuclear fusion used to make nuclear bombs?
Nuclear weapons developed by the Manhattan project for the Allies were Fission weapons called Atomic bombs. Large scale Fusion weapons developed by Hungarian Edward Teller in USA after WW2 were called Hydrogen Bombs. However during 1942 the Nazis developed a hybrid fusion boosted fission weapon, in which hollow charge explosives were used to cause a plasma pinch, a kind of flash of neutrons to ignite a Fission explosion.
Why are thermonuclear bombs are more disastrous than nuclear bombs?
Nuclear bombs use nuclear fission of some heavy element, usually uranium or plutonium. Thermonuclear bombs use the detonation of a fission bomb to ignite the fusion of hydrogen. Such weapons are more powerful than ordinary nuclear weapons because nuclear fusion releases more energy than nuclear fission, and because the process of fusion itself can be used to ignite more fission.
Which type of nuclear reaction is used in atomic bombs?
fission and in some fusion
What are some other things that nuclear weapons are called?
Atomic bombs, A bombs, fission bombsHydrogen bombs, H bombs, fusion bombsBoosted fission bombs, "dial-a-yield" bombsMultistaged fusion bombsClean fusion bombs, reduced fallout fusion bombsSalted fusion bombs, dirty fusion bombs, increased fallout fusion bombsetc.
