Ever since the dawn of time man has found new ways of killing each other. The mostdestructive way of killing people known to man would have to be the atomic bomb. Thereason why the atomic bomb is so destructive is that when it is detonated, it has more thanone effect. The effects of the atomic bomb are so great that Nikita Khrushchev said thatthe survivors would envy the dead (International Physicians for the Prevention of NuclearWar, 1982). These devastating physical effects come from the atomic bomb’s blast, theatomic bomb’s thermal radiation, and the atomic bomb’s nuclear radiation. An atomicbomb is any weapon that gets its destructive power from an atom. This power comeswhen the matter inside of the atoms is transformed into energy. The process by which thisis done is known as fission. The only two atoms suitable for fissioning are the uraniumisotope U-235 and the plutonium isotope Pu-239 (OutlawLabs). Fission occurs when aneutron, a subatomic particle with no electrical charge, strikes the nucleus of one of theseisotopes and causes it to split apart. When the nucleus is split, a large amount of energy isproduced, and more free neutrons are also released. These neutrons then in turn strikeother atoms, which causes more energy to be released. If this process is repeated, aself-sustaining chain reaction will occur, and it is this chain reaction that causes the atomicbomb to have its destructive power (World Book, 1990). This chain reaction can beattained in two different ways. The first type of atomic bomb ever used was a gun-type. Inthis type two subcritical pieces of U-235 are placed in a device similar to the barrel of anartillery shell. One piece is placed at one end of the barrel and will remain there at rest.The other subcritical mass is placed at the other end of the barrel. A conventionalexplosive is packed behind the second subcritical mass. When the fuse is triggered, aconventional explosion causes the se...
