A nuclear weapon is a type of explosive weapon that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions of fission or a combination of fission and fusion.
Fission - A nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits into fragments, releasing from 100 million to several hundred million electron volts of energy. (Examples are isotopes of Uranium and Plutonium)
Fussion - The combining of two small atomic nuclei to form a larger nucleus, sometimes with the release of energy
Only two nuclear bombs have been used and both were used by the United States against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan at the end of World War II
A fission bomb's atom detonates when a stray neutron is captured by the nucleus. This makes the nucleus unstable and forces the nucleus apart. The two new atoms release massive amounts of energy (heat and gamma rays) because they weigh less than the original atom. This whole process occurs in about ten nanoseconds.
Fission - A nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits into fragments, releasing from 100 million to several hundred million electron volts of energy. (Examples are isotopes of Uranium and Plutonium)
Fussion - The combining of two small atomic nuclei to form a larger nucleus, sometimes with the release of energy
Only two nuclear bombs have been used and both were used by the United States against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan at the end of World War II
A fission bomb's atom detonates when a stray neutron is captured by the nucleus. This makes the nucleus unstable and forces the nucleus apart. The two new atoms release massive amounts of energy (heat and gamma rays) because they weigh less than the original atom. This whole process occurs in about ten nanoseconds.
