Atomic Bombs

Good question.

A fusion bomb combines (fuses) light nuclei (hydrogen) into larger nuclei to get its energy. But it needs a fission bomb to start it.

A fission bomb breaks up (fissions) heavy nuclei (uranium/plutonium) into smaller nuclei to get its energy.

If you mean the cities, he did not pick them he left them up to his generals from a preselected list of about half a dozen. Nagasaki was a secondary target picked by the flight crew as the primary was clouded over.

Albert Einstein did not directly work on making the atomic bomb. He did write a letter to President Roosevelt in 1939 warning of the potential of nuclear weapons, which led to the start of the Manhattan Project. However, it was scientists like J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi who led the research and development efforts to create the atomic bomb.

Yes, atomic bombs are real. They are powerful nuclear weapons that release energy through nuclear fission reactions, causing devastating destruction. The first atomic bombs were developed and used during World War II in 1945.

A nuclear bomb and an atomic bomb are essentially the same thing—in both cases, a large amount of energy is released through nuclear fission or fusion reactions. The term "atomic bomb" is commonly used to refer to fission-based weapons, while "nuclear bomb" is a more general term that includes both fission and fusion weapons. In terms of destructive power, the strength of these bombs depends on their design, yield, and delivery method, rather than the specific terminology used.

An atomic bomb can cause immediate devastation through a blinding flash, intense heat, and a destructive blast wave. It can cause widespread destruction, injuries, and fatalities, while also leading to long-term health effects such as radiation sickness and increased risk of cancer. The impact can be catastrophic on infrastructure, environment, and human life.

The building of the atomic bomb was known as the Manhattan Project. It was a research and development project during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons.

yes, both true & false.

They can work either by fission or some combination of fission & fusion. Most modern nuclear bombs use both fission & fusion to optimize for mission, size, weight, cost, etc. Total yield can vary from 100% fission to more than 95% fusion.

Physicists working on the Manhattan Project, notably Enrico Fermi and his team at the University of Chicago, were the first to successfully split the atom during World War II. This breakthrough paved the way for the development of atomic bombs.

Leo Szilard was a Hungarian-American physicist who made significant contributions to the fields of nuclear physics and molecular biology. He is best known for his role in the development of the nuclear chain reaction, as well as for his work on the Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Szilard also played a key role in advocating for nuclear arms control and promoting peaceful uses of atomic energy.

The reflector in a nuclear weapon core is made of a material which can reflect neutrons from fission in the core back into the core, instead of wasting them. A tamper can permit a smaller mass of nuclear fuel (an unreflected subcritical mass of nuclear material can quickly become critical if a reflector is used). Depending on the material, they can also have a neutron-moderation effect. The tamper in many nuclear weapons is also the reflector.

Both the atomic bomb and nuclear power plant rely on nuclear fission to produce energy. The atomic bomb is designed to release a massive amount of energy in a short time, causing destruction, while a nuclear power plant harnesses controlled nuclear reactions to generate electricity for communities.

The question you are asking is equivalent in many ways to asking "Which number is bigger 27 or 27?" as an atomic explosive and a nuclear explosive are generally considered the same. The only difference is a bomb is typically an explosive delivered by a manned airplane whereas the explosive warhead on a missile is delivered by either a rocket or an unmanned airplane called a cruise missile.

Either one could be a higher yield explosive, or as I stated in the example at the beginning of this answer both could be identical.

Trinity site, NM in the north east corner of what is now White Sands Missile Range, July 16, 1945

Alfred Nobel did not invent the atomic bomb. He is best known for creating dynamite and establishing the Nobel prizes. The atomic bomb was created by a team of scientists during the Manhattan Project in the United States during World War II.

Yes, atomic watches can work anywhere in the world as they receive radio signals from atomic clocks to automatically adjust the time. This ensures precise timekeeping regardless of the location.

Einstein had no direct involvement in the building of the first atomic bombs. Although Einstein's theories formed the basis of the physics involved in creating them, it was primarily Oppenheimer and Fermi that lead the team that actually designed and built the weapons.

The first atomic bomb, "Little Boy," weighed about 9,700 pounds (4,400 kg).

An atomic bomb consists of highly enriched uranium or plutonium arranged in a critical mass to trigger a chain reaction. This reaction releases a tremendous amount of energy in the form of heat, light, and radiation, causing a powerful explosion. The construction of an atomic bomb involves precise design and engineering to ensure a successful detonation.

The references I have state Oralloy is 93.5% U235. Oralloy (Oak Ridge Alloy) was used in US Uranium atomic bombs as the fissile material. However they also say that any enrichment 20% U235 or higher is fissile and could be used to make a bomb, it would require a higher critical mass to work though. One source I have states that early Soviet Uranium atomic bombs used ~97% U235, but the US felt this level of enrichment to be unnecessary and excessively expensive.

J. Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government research project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. Oppenheimer played a crucial role in overseeing the development and testing of the bomb, leading to its successful deployment in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Yes. In fact, any large explosion(atomic or otherwise)which occurs on or near the ground will cause a mushroom cloud. This is because the explosion creates a mass of superheated air and debris, which will expand and rise upwards because its density is less, and its temperature higher, than the surrounding air; basically the same principle that causes hot-air balloons to rise. This is what gives you the iconic "mushroom" cloud. About the only time you wouldn't expect to see such a cloud is if the detonation occurs deep under ground or water, or at extremely high altitudes.

That varies from design to design. The physics package is typically quite small, the chemical explosives can be much bigger depending on the types used.