The atomic bomb
The atomic bomb is a weapon of mass destruction that derives its destructive power from the release of nuclear energy when atomic nuclei are split (fission) or merged (fusion). The first atomic bombs were developed during World War II by the United States and used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The atomic bomb is a fission weapon, which means that it releases energy by splitting the nuclei of atoms. The most common fissionable material is uranium-235, which is found in nature in very small quantities. The uranium-235 atoms in an atomic bomb are first bombarded with neutrons, which causes them to split. This releases more neutrons, which then split more uranium-235 atoms, creating a chain reaction. The chain reaction releases a vast amount of energy in a very short period of time, creating an explosion. The first atomic bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. It had a yield of about 15 kilotons of TNT, which is equivalent to the explosive...