Nuclear chain reaction - Wikipedia
In nuclear physics, a nuclear chain reaction occurs when one single nuclear reaction causes an average of one or more subsequent nuclear reactions, thus leading to the possibility of a self-propagating series or "positive feedback loop" of these reactions.
The Science Behind the First Nuclear Chain Reaction, Which …
Dec 1, 2017 · They called this 20x6x25-foot setup Chicago Pile Number One, or CP-1 for short – and it was here they obtained world’s the first controlled nuclear chain reaction on December 2, 1942. A...
Science Behind the Atom Bomb - Nuclear Museum
Jun 5, 2014 · This is known as a chain reaction and is what causes an atomic explosion. When a uranium-235 atom absorbs a neutron and fissions into two new atoms, it releases three new neutrons and some binding energy.
How Nuclear Bombs Work - HowStuffWorks
Mar 1, 2022 · Nuclear weapons have incredible, long-term destructive power that travels far beyond the original target. This is why the world's governments are trying to control the spread of nuclear-bomb-making technology and materials and reduce the arsenal of nuclear weapons deployed during the Cold War.
How understanding nature made the atomic bomb inevitable - Science News
Aug 6, 2020 · It became clear that building a fission bomb would require generating a “chain reaction” — the fission process itself would need to release neutrons capable of inducing further fission.
How Nuclear Weapons Work | Union of Concerned Scientists
Sep 29, 2016 · Once dense enough to reach the critical mass, neutrons are injected, initiating a fission chain reaction and producing an atomic explosion. In fusion weapons (also called “thermonuclear” or “hydrogen” weapons), the energy from an initial fission explosion is used to “fuse” hydrogen isotopes together.
Nuclear chain reaction - Energy Education
A nuclear chain reaction occurs when the output of one nuclear reaction causes more nuclear reactions to occur. These chain reactions are almost always a series of fission events, which give off excess neutrons.
Nuclear chain reaction | physics | Britannica
Nuclear chain reactions are series of nuclear fissions (splitting of atomic nuclei), each initiated by a neutron produced in a preceding fission. For example, 2 1 / 2 neutrons on the average are released by the fission of each uranium-235 nucleus that absorbs a low-energy neutron.
Frisch–Peierls memorandum - Wikipedia
Frisch and Peierls then considered the speed of a uranium fission chain reaction, exponential in nature, where "τ is the time required for the neutron density to multiply by a factor e." The available data was very approximate, but their central point – that a bomb was possible using fast (~2 MeV) neutrons – remains.
32.7: Nuclear Weapons - Physics LibreTexts
There are two types of nuclear weapons—fission bombs use fission alone, whereas thermonuclear bombs use fission to ignite fusion. Both types of weapons produce huge numbers of nuclear reactions in a very short time. Energy yields are measured in kilotons or megatons of equivalent conventional explosives and range from 0.1 kT to more than 20 MT.