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/sci/ - Science & Math

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2123941 No.2123941 [Reply] [Original]

Hey /sci/tizens

When it comes to science I am stupid. Just want to get that out of the way.

But I was wondering a few things about nuclear bombs. Can you please tell me an absolute bog standard reason that splitting an atom causes a chain reaction resulting the way it does. Why do we need plutonium/uranium?

Next question is whenever I watch a video of a nuke I see a big shockwave and a fireball. Which is the 'dangerous' bit. I mean which bit is the bit that's destructive? Thanks for your help /sci/.

>> No.2123954

bump for knowledge

>> No.2123964

I'm hardly an expert on this matter and I probably have some of the details wrong, but it roughly works like this:
You can split a uranium atom (a particular form of it, anyway) by firing a neutron into it. This produces some gamma rays, some heat, and... two more neutrons. Each of which can, in turn, split another uranium atom. If you can maintain proper conditions (i.e. making sure that all those neutrons released actually hit another uranium atom), this will cause a chain reaction.

>> No.2123966

Grossly speaking, when an atom "spits out" a neutron (or some other particule), the neutron will collide with another atom. The other atom will absorb it, which will put it into an unstable state, and soon afterwards it will release another neutron, ad infinitum. Since each time an atom releases a neutron, at also releases energy, that creates massive amounts of energy.

Second question: both.

>> No.2123968
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2123968

Bombarding a Uranium-235 core with Neutrons cases it's mass to increase, and it becomes even more unstable, splitting into two cores of two elements and the process releases energy in the form of gamma (Radiation), neutrinos and neutrons. The other neutrons from the reaction go to other atoms, splitting them up, mpore neutrons, ad infinitum. We need those elements because they are unstable enough to be fissile.

There's no particular "dangerous" bit: The gamma rays move outward, and some of them are absorbed by the air, which heats the air, and turns it to plasma (Plasma, or fire, whatever), and then there's the plasma/fire expanding and burning everything.

The mushroom cloud thingee is just a characteristic of explosions in atmospheres, this one in particular. Any other explosion makes one, but nuclear bombs are the only ones to create them on a scale large enough for characteristics to be appreciated for longer than a few seconds.

>> No.2123990

Thank you all very much guys. I really appreciate your help :)

>> No.2124030
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2124030

>>2123941
There are several "dangerous" components of a nuclear initiation. First, there is a blast of radiation, both in the form of heat and in the form of x-rays. The visible light emitted is also intense enough to permanently blind. Second is the shockwave, or blast wave, that travels outward. Third is the fallout, which includes the products of the reaction of the nuclear material as well as the indigenous matter which may have been transmuted by the radiation into dangerous material.

>> No.2124132

>>2124030
thanks