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Atomic Bombs
Atomic bomb is an explosive device in which a large amount of energy is released through nuclear reactions. This makes an atomic bomb, more properly called a nuclear weapon, a much more powerful device than any conventional bomb containing chemical explosives. The first Atomic Bombs were used during World War 2 in 1945 by the US onto 2 Japanese cities.
2,042 Questions
Is the atomic bomb the same thing as the nuclear missile?
No, they are not the same thing. An atomic bomb is a type of nuclear weapon that releases a large amount of energy through nuclear fission or fusion reactions. A nuclear missile, on the other hand, is a missile system that is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to a target.
Is there beryllium in the make up of the atom bomb?
The earliest ones all did.
Early atomic bombs used an internal initiator/neutron source to start the chain reaction. This was composed of beryllium and polonium and somewhat resembled a golfball in appearance. It was placed in the center of the bomb and when crushed by the shock from the chemical explosives, the two elements mixed, alpha particles from the polonium decay released neutrons from the beryllium which started the chain reaction.
These had a problem though: the polonium decays fairly rapidly, meaning these initiators/neutron sources had to be replaced about every 138 days to keep the bombs reliable. As the stockpile grew this became a major maintenance issue.
In the middle 1950s the US switched to external initiators/neutron sources to start the chain reaction. These are operated electrically and use tritium in a miniaturized particle accelerator to initiate a small fusion reaction reaction and a pulse of neutrons. The maintenance issues were effectively eliminated as these initiators/neutron sources only had to be replaced about every 12 years, a period of time longer than many weapons were even kept in the stockpile before being replaced by newer designs.
Some atomic bombs do use a beryllium neutron reflector on the inside of the depleted uranium tamper to improve efficiency, but this is not absolutely necessary for the bomb to work. To know whether a given bomb uses this or not would require access to classified design information.
What are the differences between the test atomic bomb and the real one?
The main difference is test devices often have no casing, but this may not be true as some tests were done with the full operational military bomb (e.g. Crossroads Able in 1946 was a test involving dropping a MK-III bomb identical to Fatman from a B-29 over Bikini Atoll).
Who told Roosevelt the chemical formula to build up the atomic bomb?
No one, as there is no chemical formula for nuclear explosives, they are nuclear not chemical in operation.
Leo Szilard wrote a letter to warn FDR that Germany might be working on atomic bombs and that the US should begin a project to study their feasibility. Szilard prepared the letter as if Albert Einstein had written it, then had Einstein sign it, as Einstein was better known and it seemed a letter that appeared to be from him was more likely to convince FDR. However this letter told FDR nothing about how atomic bombs could be built, except that it related to new discoveries about the properties of the metal uranium resulting from recent experiments performed in Germany.
How much area can atomic bomb blow up?
Question as written cannot be answered as it depends on very many unspecified variables, the most important being the yield of the bomb which with already tested bombs can vary from as little as 10 tons TNT equivalent to over 50 million tons TNT equivalent.
Is the atomic bomb a nuclear bomb?
Yes, both atomic and nuclear describe what mechanism causes an explosion. It is causes by atoms decaying, or the nucleus being split apart and releasing energy.
More exactly, a nuclear weapon is one which derives its power from energy released by breaking intra-nuclear bonds (i.e. the energy that holds neutrons and protons together inside an atom's nucleus). There are four types (currently) of nuclear weapons:
An atomic bomb is more properly called a fissionweapon, in that it derives power from splitting a heavy element (usually U-238 or P-239) into smaller elements.
A thermonuclear bomb is one that relies on fusion, where lightweight elements (isotopes of Hydrogen) are pushed together. Currently, all such weapons require a small atomic bomb to act as the trigger for the fusion reaction, but the vast majority of their yield is from fusion.
A hybrid weapon, also called a fission-fusion-fission weapon, is a thermonuclear bomb wrapped in a uranium shell to boost the yield by using escaping neutrons from the fusion reaction to ignite the uranium shell's fission.
A boosted atomic weapon is a normal atomic bomb which has gaseous tritium (a hydrogen isotope) injected just prior to detonation. This gas undergoes fusion, increasing the yield of the weapon.
What is the atomic bomb an example of?
The atomic bomb is an example of a nuclear weapon, a type of explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions. It was used during World War II, with devastating consequences, and has since influenced global security policies and discussions on nuclear proliferation.
How many atomic bombs did the US have in September 1945?
One FAT MAN type Mark 3 for Kokura, Japan planned for 19 Aug 45.
How many miles does an atomic bomb cover?
The destructive radius of an atomic bomb can vary depending on its size and yield. A typical atomic bomb might have a blast radius of a few miles, with the most powerful bombs capable of causing devastation over tens of miles.
Is Trinity Site the location of the first atomic bomb testing?
Yes, Trinity Site is the location of the first atomic bomb testing. It was the site of the Trinity Test, which was the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project.
Where in hiroshima did the atomic bomb hit?
6 August 1945
About 400 yds off the aioi bridge, its intended AP. Also the bomb hit nothing physically, it was an airburst at about 1500 feet altitude triggered by radar altimeters.
If you are talking about the actual physical size of the bomb device, then modern nuclear weapons can be quite compact. The typical "bomb" in a warhead of something like a ICBM or SLBM is about three cubic feet in size (.1 cubic meter), and weighs several hundred pounds (roughly 100kg or so)
There have been consistent rumors of both the United States and the U.S.S.R. having developed "suitcase" nukes, which would put them at under 1 cubic foot in size and under 20kg or so in weight.
If you are talking about explosive yield, current-generation strategic weapons are typically the fission-fusion-fission design, and have between 1/3 and 1/2 MT yield. This size was chosen for efficiency, giving a relatively high yield/warhead weight ratio. Tactical warheads for bombs and short-range rockets are typically boosted fission weapons, and have yields in the 50-200kt range.
add there were developed atomic shells (nuclear artillery) to be fired from artillery, but these have real maintenance problems, and may no longer be in service.
The person who made the atomic bomb?
The atomic bomb was developed by a team of scientists led by J. Robert Oppenheimer as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II. Oppenheimer is often credited as the "father of the atomic bomb" due to his central role in its creation.
What is the cause of skin melting of victims of atomic bomb?
this is really very hard. who ever can answer this is definitely a genius that is godsend!
How heavy was the atomic bomb?
'Little Boy' the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima weighed 8,900 pounds whereas 'Fat Man' , the atomic weapon used on Nagasaki weighed 10,200 pounds .
What is the mathematical formula for an atomic bomb?
The mathematical formula for the energy produced by an atomic bomb is E=mc^2, where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light. This formula, derived by Albert Einstein, explains the conversion of mass into energy in nuclear reactions, such as those that occur in atomic bombs.
After 28 years, half of the 2.5 grams (1.25 grams) would remain. After another 28 years (56 years total), only 0.625 grams would remain, and so on. The amount of the radioactive element left can be calculated using the formula: remaining amount = initial amount * (1/2)^(years/half-life), where the initial amount is 2.5 grams and the years is the given time.
How much heat can an atomic bomb create?
Atomic bombs are a perfect example of a nuclear reaction that causes massive destruction. Atom bombs have a power equivalent to millions of tons of ordinary explosive. The temperatures of fusion nuclear explosions can go up into the millions of kelvin.
What was the atomic bomb tested at trinity?
The atomic bomb tested at the Trinity test site in New Mexico during World War II was a plutonium-based implosion-type bomb known as "Gadget." This test marked the first detonation of a nuclear weapon.
Why is the hydrogen bomb dependent on the atomic bomb?
A hydrogen bomb is a fusion nuclear weapon, and the "regular" atomic bomb is a fission one. Both are an example of an "atomic bomb" in the general sense. But we know what you're asking, and here's the answer. In a fission weapon, subcritical masses of fissile material (usually plutonium) are driven together with conventional explosives to cause criticality, supercriticality and the blast. In a hydrogen bomb, the only way to get things hot enough for fusion to begin to occur is by virtue of the heat generated by a fission weapon. A fission blast will, if things are set up correctly, set off a fusion blast. Big, big, bigboom! That's the long and short of it. To build a hydrogen (fusion) weapon, you have to build a fission bomb "around" or "up against" components to cause fusion to occur in the heat of the fission reaction when that fission bomb goes off. Our sun is a gigantic fusion machine. It is similar to a hydrogen bomb in that both fuse hydrogen into helium. On the sun, it happens all the time in a continuous event. Here on earth, it's a one-shot affair and a massive boom!
What does an atomic bomb use for its explosive power?
An atomic bomb is made up from the inside out by:
a plutonium pit(ball) about the sized as a honeydew melon.
surrounded by about 2 inches of high explosive on all sides.
This is triggered in a USA bomb by an intricate series of safety triggers
that prevent accidental explosion by altitude triggers, timers, and arming triggers.
Excess nuclear binding energy supplied by the strong nuclear force.
Was the first atomic bomb more powerful than todays atomic bombs?
No. The first WW2 atomic bomb was rated in terms of Kilo-tons and was a fission explosion. The largest bombs developed during the Cold War was a hydrogen bomb using fussion and it was rated in the Mega-ton or equivalent to Million of tons of TNT. Of course, modern bombs have been designed with low kilo-ton power that can be used as a tactical weapon---meaning it is designed to destroy a local area and not an entire city. Actually, being a rocket scientist myself, Jason Knox, i believe that the most powerful atomic bomb is the current 254-U system that has a range of 200 miles radius and can obliterate the scene that was intended.
What elements are in the atomic bomb?
The atomic bomb typically contains enriched uranium or plutonium as the fissionable material, along with conventional explosives to trigger the nuclear chain reaction. When detonated, these elements undergo a rapid chain reaction, releasing a massive amount of energy in the form of heat, blast, and radiation.
How much heat is given off an atomic bomb ie 1kt?
Follow the link to the site below. It is the A-Bomb WWW museum. According to the data on this site the heat beneath the explosion center rose to approximately 7,000 degree F. For more info on the A-bomb go to the webpage listed below http://www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/data.html
What movie is about the atomic bomb that Robert Oppenheimer created?
Find these three;
PANIC IN YEAR ZERO
ON THE BEACH
THE DAY AFTER
There is also an instructional movie I saw in Meadow bank Technical College about a medium sized hydrogen bomb dropped on London or similar and the death tolls, injuries, and peculiar mental effect of being where an atomic bomb has fallen. I can extend this answer a bit and say if your Government is not building deep missile shelters you ought to be prepared to pay a bit more tax with your indulgence to whatever Government is in power to have deep missile shelters. You need to get very deep underground with a lot less warning than the British had of slow old German bombers on the way. If you are lucky you got one second to open the hatch and JUMP to get enough underground not to be vaporized and nothing will save you unless you go a couple of miles straight down.
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Day One, with David Strathairn as Openheimer, and Brian Dennehy as Groves is a good movie if you can find it.
