422-002+Nuclear+Power

The Atomic Bomb is an extremly powerful nuclear weapon and has forces that are strong and weak that hold the atoms together. The two ways nuclear energy can be emitted from the atom are by nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission is when the nucleus of an atom splits into two smaller parts along with a neutron. Nuclear fusion is when two atoms join together to form a larger and more powerfulk atom. Both ways can release large amounts of heat energy and radiation. The materials needed to build an atomic bomb are, a source of fissionable or fusionable fuel, a triggering device, and a way to allow the majority of fuel to fission or fuse before the explosion occurs. The first buclear bombs were fission devices then they were updated to fusion devices that needed a fission-bomb trigger.

The simplest type of nuclear bomb is the Atomic Bomb. In order for this bomb to work it releases energy from the nucleus of the atom. This process releases large amounts of energy through nuclear fission. When the atoms collide they create an explosion. Radiation will emitt from the powerful elements in the bomb and will cause death and serious sicknesses. The Atomic Bomb is used in wars, for example it was used in World War II and was dropped on Japan causing the war to end. Even though the Atomic Bomb is used in wars for bad reasons it is also out to some good use such as powering a generater. To do this they insert a special neutron absorbing material between the plutonium so they cant collide and explode instead they heat up water to make steam and then this turns the generator.

On August 2, 1939, just before the beginning of World War II, Albert Einstein wrote to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Einstein and several other scientists told Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi Germany to purify uranium-235, which could be used to build an atomic bomb. Shortly after that the United States Government began the serious undertaking known then only as "The Manhattan Project." The Manhattan Project was committed to expediting research that would produce a viable atomic bomb.The most complicated issue in making of an atomic bomb was the production of ample amounts of "enriched" uranium to sustain a chain reaction. At the time, uranium-235 was very hard to extract.

The ratio of conversion from uranium ore to uranium metal is 500:1. Compounding this, the one part of uranium that is finally refined from the ore is over 99% uranium-238, which is almost useless for an atomic bomb. To add to that, the useful U-235 and nearly useless, U-238 are isotopes, nearly identical in their chemical makeup. No ordinary chemical extraction method could separate them; only mechanical methods could work.