How does an atomic bomb explode?

Answer 1

1. The fissile fuel is packaged in the bomb as a subcritical mass.
2. The fusing system detects the preset firing condition.
3. A firing pulse is sent from the fusing system to the rapid assembly system.
4. The rapid assembly system uses explosives to repackage the fissile fuel as a supercritical mass.
5. A neutron source fires through the supercritical mass, initiating the chain reaction.
6. The chain reaction increases exponentially until the resulting explosion disassembles the fissile fuel back to a subcritical mass.

Answer 2

An atomic bomb uses a nuclear chain reaction to release an immense amount of energy. When the bomb is triggered, a nuclear fissile material like uranium or plutonium undergoes a rapid and uncontrolled chain reaction, resulting in a powerful explosion. This explosion creates a massive release of heat, light, and radioactive fallout.