Nuclear Weapons

Created By: Kloé Darnell, Becca Rush, Jessica Gates, Jared

Beale, & Tyler Valentine

Introduction to Nuclear Weapons

• Nuclear Weapon: A weapon of destructive power comes from nuclear energy; an atomic bomb or a hydrogen bomb

Facts:• The first nuclear weapon was used in the early 1900s• A neutron must pass through core of nuclear weapon, in order to

explode• 1951-present records: 67,500+ nuclear missiles have been

assembled• A small quantity of radiation is beneficial to health• $35,100,000,000+ has been spent on nuclear weapons education

related programs

KLOE DARNELL

What is the difference between a hydrogen and atomic bomb?

• Hydrogen bomb: a bomb whose explosion is due to the release of atomic energy from fusion of hydrogen atoms at high temperature and pressure to form helium nuclei

• Atomic bomb: a bomb whose explosion is due to the release of energy resulting from splitting of nuclei of a chemical element by neutrons in a rapid chain reaction

KLOE DARNELL

Which countries have a nuclear arsenal?

KLOE DARNELL

             

Thermonuclear stateBritainChinaFranceRussiaUnited States

Atomic State

India

North Korea

Pakistan

Suspected Atomic State

Israel

Suspected Weapons Program

Algeria

Brazil

Egypt

Iran

South Korea

Syria

Ended Weapons Research

Argentina

Australia

Romania

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Yugoslavia

Program Dismantled

Iraq

Libya

Disarmed

Belarus

Canada

Kazakhstan

South Africa

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Relationship between Countries

• The relationship between these states, have never been the same since the Cold War. Whether the countries use nuclear weapons as defense or power, they are on edge and in deal of secretive “alliance”. Treaties like the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, is signed to ensure refraining from imports or exports of nuclear weapons. These treaties help control the movement and determine the relationship of Countries, involved with nuclear weapons.

“The commission’s conclusion is simple and far from any alarmist views and cut-and-dried analyses: what unites Europe and the United States is far greater than what divides them.”

KLOE DARNELL

Elements of Atomic Bombs

• Pu- 239 • U- 235

JESSICA GATES

Nuclear Fusion in the Sun• Definition: combining

of two nuclei to create one nucleus

• Reactions occur in the core

• Intense pressure forces the fusion of hydrogen atoms

• The fusions form helium atoms

p

pp

p

n

n

n

++

+ +

+

0

0

0

H

He

H

JESSICA GATES

Nuclear Fusion in the Sun, cont.

• Large amount of energy from reaction produces light

• Different forms of light energy sustain sun

JESSICA GATES

Development to Detonation of the first atomic bombs

• 1938 German Scientists discovered how to split the Uranium atom creating nuclear energy

• August 1939 Szliard and Wigner had Einstein sign a letter to President Roosevelt regarding the possibility or creating an atomic bomb.

• October 9, 1941 Roosevelt approved the research of a feasibility of a bomb

• December 7, 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbor’s Naval Base.

• June 1942 Roosevelt created the top secret Manhattan Project. General Groves appointed Robert Oppenhiemer to be in charge of designing the atomic bombs.

• April 1943 Los Alamos was opened. The staff created two bombs, one with Uranium and one with Plutonium

BECCA RUSH

Fat Man and Little Boy World’s First Atomic Bombs

• The "Fat Man" type, which was dropped on Nagasaki, was more complex. It contained a sphere of the metal plutonium 239, around which were arrayed blocks of high explosives.

• The "Little Boy" type, which was dropped on Hiroshima, triggered a nuclear explosion by firing one piece of uranium 235 into another.

BECCA RUSH

• July 15, 1945 the explosion of the first atomic bomb took place at Trinity Site

• August 6, 1945 US dropped the atomic bomb (“Little Man”) on Hiroshima

• August 9, 1945 the explosion of the second atomic bomb devastated the city of Nagasaki

BECCA RUSH

Hypothetical aftermath of a nuclear war

• Water and land would be contaminated and destroyed

• All animals would die, or be uneatable

• Cause extreme and unusual weather phenomenon

• World politics would be in utter chaos

BECCA RUSH

http://gtm-media.discoveryeducation.com/videos/21524/sec14610_700k.asf

Radiation effects on humans

• Cancer

• Leukemia

• Mutations

• Birth defects

• Severe burns

BECCA RUSH

Introduction

• The two most deadly bombs dropped on Japan during WW2 were atomic bombs.

• They got their new ,massive, power from the nuclear fission (splitting) of atoms Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239

Tyler Valentine

From Dream to Reality

• There are 2 ways to create and detonate a supercritical mass in an atomic bomb

• These 2 ways are the Gun Method and the Implosion Method

Tyler Valentine

Gun Method

• Technique used to detonate Fat Man and Little Boy in WW2

• This is a more complex way consisting of a detonator at one end of a long narrow tube called the tamper and the Uranium at the other end of the tube

• The Detonator releases a conventional charge to travel through the tamper and collide with the Uranium 235 at the other end

Tyler Valentine

Gun Bomb

Tyler Valentine

Implosion Method

• The second and more modern way to detonate the bomb is the Implosion Method.

• Core is a sphere of Plutonium or Uranium and a tamper to stop fissile material from flying apart before the chain reaction is complete

• Outer Layer composed of high explosives covering the sphere

Tyler Valentine

Implosion Bomb

Tyler Valentine

Nuclear Fission

External Link to Nuclear fission model

•The explosive force demonstrated by a nuclear bomb gets its feared power from the splitting of heavy nuclei or, nuclear fission.

•Uranium and Plutonium are the easiest to split because of their large size.

•Nuclear Fission occurs when a random neutron strikes any random Uranium or Plutonium atom.

•The Neutron breaks apart the Uranium atom into two different atoms, Barium and Krypton.

•Not only is the one random neutron that first strikes the uranium atom released but so is one other additional neutron.

•In addition to two neutrons being released so is a form of Radiation Energy

Tyler Valentine

Nuclear Fission cont.

• Once one of the uranium or plutonium atoms goes through nuclear fission the two reaming neutrons given off from the fission go and start two more reactions on two other random uranium or plutonium atoms, thus causing an uncontrollable chain reaction.

• Then you get what is behind this paragraph

Tyler Valentine

Nuclear Fission

Tyler Valentine

Radiation Energy

• The High level Energy released from nuclear fission that causes nuclear fallout is Radiation Energy.

• One of these Uranium atoms going through nuclear fission only gives off enough radiation energy to make a tiny grain of sand jump.

• However, the trillions of Uranium atoms put in the atomic bombs is what causes these mass explosions.

Tyler Valentine

Summary

• Nuclear weapons are controversial, but vital in some circumstances. The dreadful effects outnumber the advantages of nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, the need for nuclear weapons helps us to survive and make a stance amongst other countries. There are pros and cons, what is your outlook on nuclear weapons?

KLOE DARNELL

the end

KLOE DARNELL