Nuclear Weapons

No, the largest ever built were 25 megaton warheads for the Titan II. But these were never installed on missiles, instead 9 megaton warheads were used. All Titan ICBMs are long retired and there were only 50 built total.

Currently the largest yield US bombs are roughly 600 kilotons.

A nuclear weapon specifically functions based off of different designs. Lets take the Hiroshima weapon for simplicity as this is the least complex design that is out there. The Hiroshima bomb called little boy is a simple gun type fission weapon. The weapon was designed using U-235. When the trigger on this weapon goes off, it sends a subcritical piece of Uranium down a cannon barrel to contact another piece of Uranium at the other end. The pieces meet at a certain speed causing a super critical state to be achieved. Once this occurs the nuclear chain occurs within the Uranium causing the massive release of energy that becomes the explosion. The actual function and numbers for the design of the weapon are classified; however, that is the simplified version of how the weapon detonates.

Yes, plutonium is used as a fuel in nuclear reactors, specifically in certain types of reactors like fast breeder reactors and some types of advanced reactors. Plutonium-239, which is produced from uranium-238 in nuclear reactors, is a key fuel component due to its ability to sustain fission reactions.

it might or might no be, one would have to know the yields of the 20 bombs as well as which eruption of vesuvius you are asking about. there is no such thing as a "typical" nuclear bomb yield or volcanic eruption.

No, a hydrogen bomb does not explode upon impact with the ground. The detonation of a hydrogen bomb is triggered by a specific mechanism designed to initiate the fusion reaction within the bomb's core.

Thermonuclear bombs, or hydrogen bombs, are more destructive than nuclear bombs because they involve a two-stage process: a fission reaction triggers a fusion reaction, resulting in a much larger explosion. This fusion reaction releases much more energy and is more efficient at converting material into energy compared to the fission reaction alone. As a result, thermonuclear bombs are typically much more powerful and devastating than traditional nuclear bombs.

A nuclear bomb shock wave can travel at speeds of up to 8,000 meters per second (around 18,000 miles per hour) which is faster than the speed of sound. This shock wave can cause widespread destruction and devastation over a large area within seconds of detonation.

A nuclear bomb shockwave travels at the speed of sound in the surrounding medium, which is around 343 meters per second (1,235 km/h or 767 mph) in air. The exact speed can vary depending on factors such as air temperature and pressure.

The maximum yield for a nuclear weapon varies depending on the type of weapon and ignition mechanism.

For pure-fission weapons, the most powerful weapon built is the Ivy King, at a yield of approx. 500 Kt, compared with approx. 15kt for Hiroshima or 22kt for Nagasaki. The Ivy King bomb uses a core consisting of some 60 kg of highly enriched uranium. Pure fission weapons are limited in yield by the difficulties in dealing with large critical masses of uranium and/or plutonium. In pure-fission weapons, masses required for a larger yield tend to be disrupted before a chain reaction can spread through them. With a fission weapon the rule is 77grams of weapon grade U235 or 78 grams Pu239 per kiloton of yield. Generally these days fissile uranium or Plutonium is first ignited by compression of Deuterium or Tritium to give a fusion boost. These are called third generation nuclear weapons and their criticality is not dependant on the mass or isotope purity of the fissile material.

Fusion weapons have no theoretical limit, although the mass/yield ratio imposes some practical limits. The highest-yield fusion weapon to have ever been detonated is the Soviet Union's Tsar Bomba, at 57 Mt, about 4500 times Hiroshima. This bomb was originally designed to have about twice that yield, for a weight of approx. 27 metric tonnes. Fusion bombs generally referred to as Hydrogen bombs actually us a tapered chamber called Hohlraum to compress a shock wave in a mass of deuterium and can be scaled upwards as desired to increase the yield.

The diameter of destruction caused by a nuclear bomb depends on various factors, including the type and yield of the bomb, the altitude of detonation, and the surrounding terrain. A typical nuclear bomb blast can destroy buildings and infrastructure within a radius of several miles, while the effects of radiation can impact a wider area.

The diameter of a nuclear bomb shockwave can vary depending on the size and yield of the bomb. In general, the shockwave from a nuclear explosion can have a radius of several miles, causing widespread destruction and devastation.

A crude atomic bomb might have a yield in the range of 20,000 to perhaps 40,000 tons of dynamite. The more sophisticated hydrogen bombs can have yields in the millions of tons. It is quite mind boggling.

The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was the eventual method developed to deliver nuclear weapons. The variants IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) and SLBM (submarine launched ballistic missile) are currently used, along with cruise missiles. However, some weapons are still carried by jet bombers in the USAF's Air Force Global Strike Command (formerly Strategic Air Command).

It is difficult to determine the exact number of nuclear bombs it would take to kill everyone in the world, as many factors such as location and size of the bombs would come into play. However, it is estimated that a few hundred strategically placed nuclear bombs could have catastrophic global consequences.

Depends on the power of the nuke. At the center of the explosion the destruction is total. Farther, damages become less destructive, but the radioactive cloud can travel tens or hundreds of kilometers.

Nuclear weapons kill through the intense heat, blast pressure, and radiation they produce. The initial explosion causes widespread destruction, while the radiation exposure can lead to acute and long-term health effects such as burns, radiation sickness, and cancer. The overall impact can be catastrophic for both immediate casualties and long-term survivors.

Nuclear bombs can be made transportable by packaging them in secure containers that are designed to withstand accidents. They can be loaded onto specialized vehicles or aircraft that are equipped with safety and security measures to prevent unauthorized access. Strict protocols and coordination with government agencies are necessary to ensure safe transportation of nuclear bombs.

The area that a nuclear explosion can damage depends on the size of the bomb and the altitude at which it detonates. A large nuclear bomb detonated at ground level can create a blast radius of several miles, while detonating a smaller bomb at higher altitudes can generate an electromagnetic pulse that can affect a much larger area.

The answer can certainly be more complicated and detailed, but simply- the reaction in a nuclear power point is designed to be a "slow" controlled reaction that can be monitored and "shut down", with a nuclear power point having multiple safeguards. To the contrary, a nuclear weapon's reaction is designed to be the opposite- violent and uncontrollable so that once detonation has begun, the results are catastrophic.

A sufficiently large nuclear war would not cause global warming. Instead it would cause a Nuclear Winter: massive global cooling due to enormous amounts of soot in the atmosphere. This would probably result in an ice age.

Nuclear power plants can impact surrounding areas through potential accidents, emissions of radioactive materials, and disposal of radioactive waste. Exposure to radiation can increase the risk of cancer and other health issues for people living nearby. However, stringent safety measures and regulations are in place to minimize these risks.

If you are an industrialized nation, spend about 4 years building up the specialized industrial infrastructure to extract/manufacture the required special nuclear materials. Then you can start building simple weapons. The actual design and development of the weapons is relatively simple and can be conducted in parallel with the infrastructure construction.

The elements of a nuke (nuclear weapon) typically include a fissile material like uranium or plutonium, conventional explosives to trigger the nuclear reaction, and a mechanism to control the detonation. Additionally, nukes may have various components such as a neutron initiator, tamper, and reflector to optimize the explosion.