Nuclear Fission Research Paper

A radioactive element does not have any stable isotopes, which means it may spontaneously degenerate, emitting alpha particles, beta particles and occasionally gamma rays. Some examples of radioactive elements are uranium, promethium and curium. Radioactive elements could be used either negative or positive.

Technology has allowed for the furtherance of warfare, from the invention of gun powder to the splitting of the atom. These findings have propelled the leap of numerous nations’ in the ability to wage war against each other. Of these discoveries, the splitting atom spawned an invention that would hurl the world from conventional warfare into the nuclear age. These ideals were the brainstorming of some of the greatest minds in America and abroad. These scientists began to formulate the creation of the atomic bomb, a device that would change the world in ways that had never been imagined before.

“A nuclear bomb is defined as ‘an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter.’ “

To create a nuclear bomb, nuclear fission must occur. The process of nuclear fission was splitting the nucleus of an atom. Splitting an atom was caused by neutrons firing through one atom and then that atom’s neutrons shoot off into other atoms, starting a chain reaction. In October of 1934, Enrico Fermi, and

On August 6, 1945 the first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, instantly killing 66,000 people. The dropping of the bomb also had broader circumstances as it forced the surrender of Japan, officially ending World War II. However, the end of World War II marked the beginning of the political conflict and military tension between Russia and the United States known as the cold war. The “war” became global as it as it transformed from the U.S.S.R. vs. the United States to NATO vs. the Warsaw Pact. The Cold War ended in 1991, and now about twelve countries are confirmed or suspected to possess nuclear weapons. Globalization has advanced both the spread of nuclear weapons, and their disarmament. Non-proliferation efforts

During the events of WWII, the world’s scientific community learned that German physicists had unlocked the secrets of splitting a uranium atom. The world quickly came to fear the idea of Nazi scientists finding a way to harness that energy and create a weapon of mass destruction the likes of which had never been seen before.

Before the Manhattan Project, in the beginning there were many advancements in understanding made in the world of physics. These resulted in the recognition of nuclear fission and its potential as an energy source and as a potential weapon. Of these advancements none was more central and important than the development of the nuclear model of the atom, which by the year of 1932 contained a nucleus containing most of the mass of an atom in the form of two particles, protons and neutrons. This nucleus was surrounded by an electron shell. Previously it was thought that atoms were the smallest form of matter therefore ultimately stable and indivisible. However, in 1919 Ernest Rutherford was able to break apart the nucleus of nitrogen with

The research for a weapon which could end the world’s most devastating war World War II started almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor got sneak attacked by Japan which entered the United States to the allied side of World War II. In 1938 some german scientists discovered that if you bombard Uranium with neutrons you could split the Nucleus of an atom. When the war started scientists thought about military uses of this new discovery. When the atoms split it releases energy and if you put billions of these atoms together it could start a chain reaction and make a massive explosion. Three physicists leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller, believed that a

The creation of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan were not originally intended as a War-Ending weapon, far from that. Regardless of the reason for its creation, it has left a profound mark on humanity as a whole. While in its infancy the fission weapons were able to destroy small cities, but only after a decade a tested fusion bomb was 750 times more powerful. These weapons of mass destruction ended the war, but not without consequences.

Bomb is a nonfiction book that focuses on the competition between Germany, America, and the Soviet Union to build the atomic bomb. This book takes place during World War II. One day, a scientist named Otto Hahn accidentally discovered atomic fission while experimenting in his lab. News that Uranium atoms could be split and form a weapon spread like wildfire. Once this discovery had reached the ears of many important leaders, the race was on.

Atomic bomb is a weapon powered by nuclear fission or nuclear fusion which has the most powerful of destruction. Recently, we call it nuclear weapon instead of the atomic bomb, because the energy of the restraint atom is a chemical reaction to the energy from the nuclei of atoms bond.

In 1938, German scientists discovered nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is the process of radioactive atoms splitting into lighter atoms causing a sudden burst of energy. When America later learned of this new discovery, it brought alarm and fear that the Germans could possibly turn what they learned into a deadly weapon, thus the race for nuclear technology began. On Dec 28 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project. They brought in various scientists, mathematicians, and military

These include radiological, nuclear, biological as well as chemical weapons. They pose the greatest threat to large populations of people. The nuclear bombs that were detonated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 for instance, were based on nuclear fission. Each of the bombs had an explosive force that is equivalent to about 15, 000 tons of TNT. The explosion killed and fatally wounded approximately 100,000 people. An additional number of people were also injured from the heat and radiation causing different illnesses. In the 1950s, the Soviet Union and the United States developed hydrogen bombs, also thermonuclear weapons that were similarly based on nuclear fission. These had an explosive capability that is similar to twenty million tons and more of TNT. An analysis of the medical consequences of these new weapons by medical organizations like the Physicians for Social Responsibility demonstrated that using them would cause millions of catastrophic global health problems similar to the worldwide radioactive fallout that caused numerous casualties from cancer deaths, as well as respiratory tract infections from the massive clouds of smoke that hang in the air. The debris also blocked and absorbed the sun’s rays and hence causing a ‘nuclear winter” that led to a consequent loss of crops and hence starvation (Barry & Victor, 1988).

Exactly, how destructive are the infamous nuclear weapons? In 1945, powers were created with the purpose and intent to kill thousands of humans and animals, destroy buildings, geographic structures, and poison the very air we breathe. These powers, are Nuclear Weapons. The very first Nuclear Weapon that was used, was the A-Bomb, created and tested by the US to drop on Japanese Cities; specifically Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The difference between the A-Bomb and the modern day Hydrogen Bomb, is that the Hydrogen Bomb, is 1000 times more destructive compared to the A-Bomb. When the US dropped the A-Bomb on Hiroshima, it killed over 100,000 people from the blast, with another 90,000 dying between 3-6 months from acute radiation exposure. The pure destruction of the initial blast was so devastating, that the Japanese simply did not know how to respond. Witnesses called it, “An explosion in the distance, followed by a bright flash, a huge cloud, then death”. The Japanese Council was split 3-3 on surrender, not knowing if the US had another one of these bombs. The US did have another, they and dropped it on the city of Nagasaki. The initial blast killed over 50,000 people, with another 40,000 dying from acute radiation exposure. After this bomb was dropped, Japan was forced to give up, and surrendered to the US and the Soviet Union. Shortly after these events, many foreign countries have began to develop their own Nuclear Weapons. To this day, foreign countries are developing nuclear

In August 1945, two atomic bombs ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’ were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, and over 200,000 people were killed immediately (ctbot.org, 2013). The principle of atomic bomb is based on the nuclear fission, which is the process that generates huge amount of energy. The modern development of nuclear technology enables fission weapons to be more powerful with a smaller size, and much easier to deliver than earlier types. However, the nuclear radiation produced by fission weapons are highly radioactive and long-lived. This would negative impact humans and the environment. Furthermore, the purposes of the uses of fission weapons in different countries will be considered and discussed.