By Sophia Bocast What are the Physics behind an Atomic Bomb The immense destructive power of atomic weapons derives from a sudden release of energy produced by splitting the nuclei of the fissile elements making up the bombs core The US developed two types of atomic bo ID: 464903
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Slide1
Atomic Bombs
By Sophia BocastSlide2
What are the Physics behind an Atomic Bomb?
The immense destructive power of atomic weapons derives from a sudden release of energy produced by splitting the nuclei of the fissile elements making up the bombs' core. The U.S. developed two types of atomic bombs during the Second World War. The first,
Little Boy
, was a gun-type weapon with a
uranium
core. Little Boy was dropped on
Hiroshima
.
The second weapon, dropped on
Nagasaki
, was called
Fat Man
and was an implosion-type device with a
plutonium
core.
Little Boy and Fat Man
utilized different elements and completely separate methods of construction in order to function as nuclear weapons. Little Boy detonated due to a fission chain reaction involving the isotope U-235 of uranium, while Fat Man used plutoniums Pu-239 form.Slide3
Who is Considered the Father of the atomic age?
Albert Einstein-
E=Mc2 laid out the path for achieving nuclear fission—the chain-reaction splitting of atoms—in laboratory tests and recognizing the real-world potential for tiny masses of radioactive material to release massive amounts of energy. Einstein signed his name to a letter urging the president to support American research into "extremely powerful bombs of a new type" that might be built using fissionable uranium,,to address the threat of German nuclear weapons by launching the Americans' own atomic bomb program.
But the
e first working atomic bombs only became available for use in the summer of 1945, after the Germans had surrendered and World War II in Europe was over; a weapon built to stop Hitler thus ended up being dropped on the Japanese instead.Slide4
“In 1954
, the last year of Albert Einstein's life, he admitted to an old friend, "I made one great mistake in my life—when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atomic bombs be made; but there was some justification—the danger that the Germans would make them.”Slide5
Current State of Atomic Weapons..
Nine countries together possess more than 16,000 nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia maintain roughly 1,800 of their nuclear weapons on high-alert status – ready to be launched within minutes of a warning. Most are many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. A single nuclear warhead, if detonated on a large city, could kill millions of people, with the effects persisting for decades. Five European nations host US nuclear weapons on their soil as part of a NATO nuclear-sharing arrangement, and roughly two dozen other nations claim to rely on US nuclear weapons for their security. Furthermore, there are now some 40 nations with nuclear power or research reactors capable of being diverted for weapons production. The spread of nuclear know-how has increased the risk that more nations will develop the bomb.Slide6
Nations with nuclear weapons
United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea
Nations hosting nuclear weapons
Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey
Nations in nuclear alliances
Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, SpainSlide7
Are there restrictions on using Atomic bombs?
Because of the immense military power they can confer, the political control of nuclear weapons has been a key issue for as long as they (Nuclear Weapons) have existed; in most countries the use of nuclear force can only be authorized by the
head of government
or
head of state
.
In the late 1940s, lack of mutual trust was preventing the United States and the Soviet Union from making ground towards international arms control agreements. The
Russell–Einstein Manifesto
was issued in
London
on July 9, 1955 by
Bertrand Russell
in the midst of the Cold War. It highlighted the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and called for world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflict. The signatories included eleven pre-eminent intellectuals and scientists, including
Albert Einstein
, who signed it just days before his death on April 18, 1955.
Slide8
Works Cited
:
www.Atomicheritage.org
www.Shmoop.com/albert-einstein/atomic-bomb
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nuclearweapon#government.control.and.law