Nuclear Weapons for Dummies

What Is A Nuclear Weapon?

An explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion (thermonuclear weapon).

Both reactions release massive quantities of energy from small amounts of matter.

Interesting fact: The first thermonuclear bomb test released the same amount of energy as 10 000 000 tons of TNT.

There are two types of nuclear bombs: fission bombs and fusion bombs.

Fission means to break apart and fusion means to merge.

Fission Reaction: The process in which a nucleus splits into two fragments. In the process neutrons are released and energy stored as binding energy is released. Nuclear fission is triggered by the absorption of a neutron.

Fusion Reaction: The process in which two nuclei come together to form a larger nucleus. In the process, energy becomes available.

How Do Nuclear Weapons Work?

Nuclear Weapons for Dummies

Nuclear Weapons for Dummies

How Do Nuclear Weapons Work? (2)

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Fission: When a neutron that is released and hits an unstable nucleus, it causes that nucleus to break apart and send out another couple of neutrons. This causes an avalanche of reactions and energy release continues until the fissile (unstable) material is spent.

Fusion: The initial energy of a fusion bomb is created by heating up an element to the point of where the tremendous temperature fuses the element into another element which releases tons of energy.

Nuclear Weapons for Dummies

Environmental & Personal Risks

The bomb by itself isnt dangerous. It is only dangerous once it is detonated. The explosion releases a massive blast and heat wave and if you survive this, you will be subjected with varying levels of radiation that can cause death, cancer, and other deadly problems.

The area where the bomb is detonated in will be obliterated, and all the life form will be also contaminated with varying levels of radiation. Radiation will cause mutations in plant and animal life growth and humans wont be able to live safely in that area until the radiation decays to a low level.

Nuclear Weapons for Dummies

The Benefits Of Nuclear Weapons

There is no benefit associated with nuclear weapons. They are a big problem in todays society and there is no way of getting rid of them without causing a war.

There also has been a lot of debate about how would our world be today if we had no nuclear weapons, as they are so dangerous and only create problems.

Nuclear Weapons for Dummies

Physics Behind Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons when detonated leave a radioactive fallout which is the radioactive particles that fall to earth as a result of a nuclear explosion.

Most of the particles decay rapidly. The left over particles have a half-life between a few days and 24,400 years (plutonium).

Strontium-90, Iodine-131, Tritium, Cesium-137, and Plutonium-239 are the normal radioisotopes involved. All these radio-isotopes release a different radiation.

Nuclear Weapons for Dummies

Extra Information

More information about nuclear weapons can be retrieved from many different sites such as:

United Nations (UN.org)

Wikipedia.org

NuclearWeaponArchive.org

Federation of American Scientists (fas.org)

TargetNuclearWeapons.org.au

RethinkingNuclearWeapons.org