answersLogoWhite

0

Basically, a conventional bomb uses a chemical explosive as the source of its destructive power. A nuclear weapon uses nuclear material to create an explosion. A nuclear explosion is much larger, and also emits ionizing radiation. A chemical weapon does not emit any radiation.

A nuclear weapon's yield is measured in Kilotons (thousand tons). In very simplified terms, this means that a nuclear weapon with a 475 kiloton yield produces an explosion comparable to 475,000 tons of TNT (TNT is a chemical explosive). That's A LOT of TNT and it would take up a bit of space. A nuclear weapon with this yield may only be a few feet long and a foot wide, and the actual nuclear material may be the size of a grapefruit.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What is the difference between the nuclear reactions in a nuclear reactor and those in an atomic bomb?

Nuclear reactions in a nuclear reactor are controlled reactions. The reactions in the atomic bomb are not controlled reactions


Is there a difference between an atomic bomb and a nuclear bomb?

There isn't much difference in these terms. Both refer to nuclear weapons, and they are general terms that can pretty much be used interchangeably.


What is the difference between a fire bomb and a nuclear bomb?

A fire bomb is a conventional incendiary bomb: magnesium, napalm, etc. A nuclear bomb uses fission and/or fusion and is mostly a blast effect weapon.


What is the difference between nuclear bomb and plutonium bomb?

A nuclear bomb is any bomb with any nuclear or atomic material inside it, while a plutonium bomb is a specific type of nuclear bomb. Plutonium could be the nuclear material inside the bomb, and if it is, it's a plutonium bomb.


What is the difference between an atomic bomb and a nuclear weapon?

An atomic bomb is a type of nuclear weapon that releases energy through nuclear fission (splitting of atomic nuclei). Nuclear weapon is a broader term that encompasses atomic bombs, as well as hydrogen bombs which release energy through nuclear fusion (combining atomic nuclei).


What is the difference between a atomic bomb and a nuclear core?

An atomic bomb is a complete deliverable bomb, including all nonnuclear components. The nuclear core is a rather small part, typically between 2 to 3 inches in diameter that contains the fissile fuel that when made supercritical by conventional explosives in the bomb fissions and provides the energy to drive the actual nuclear explosion.


Is an atomic bomb or a nuclear bomb more powerful?

The terms "atomic bomb" and "nuclear bomb" are general terms and can pretty much be used interchangeably. That said, there isn't any difference between them, and one is not more powerful than the other in that light.


Is fusion the difference between a nuclear weapon detonation and a conventional explosion?

Yes, the conventional explosives would trigger an explosion of the conventional explosives inside the nuclear bomb which would blow apart the nuclear components of the nuclear bomb, causing significant alpha emitter radiological contamination but no nuclear yield.


Maximam dengrus bomb between nuclear bomb or hydrogen bomb?

If you are asking which has the maximum danger, a hydrogen bomb is one type of nuclear bomb. In general, nuclear bombs can be fission (called atomic) or fusion (hydrogen) A fusion bomb is larger than an fission bomb, and actually uses a fission bomb to start the fusion reaction.


What is the difference between the atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb?

The difference between an A-Bomb and H-Bomb is the energy reaction inside them, one of them is nuclear fusion and the other one is nuclear fission. A-Bombs contain a unstable nuclei such as Uranium 235, whiles H-Bombs contain light stable isotopes of hydrogen and sometimes helium. Nuclear fusion is the merging of atoms/particles, whilst nuclear fission is the splitting and break down of a big unstable nuclei.


What is the difference between the hydrogen bomb and the nuclear bomb?

"Nucear bomb" is very broad term, and encompases all bombs or weapons which utilize the explosive potential of specific elements, either by fusion or fission.The classic "nuclear bombs" use uranium or plutonium in a fission reaction to produce an explosion, where as a hydrogen bomb uses hydrogen, or specific isotopes of it (deuterium or tritium, either together or with another light-weight element) to produce a similar explosion (though usually larger in size), by mean of nuclear fusion.So technicaly, a hydrogen bomb is a type of nuclear bomb.


What is the difference between the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb?

fission vs fusion