What type of energy causes an atomic bomb to explode?
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. Two neutrons do not continue the reaction because they are lost or absorbed by a uranium-238 atom.
Is energy destroyed in a nuclear explosion?
Short answer: No. An atomic reaction uses stray neutrons to split apart Uranium or Plutonium atoms, which releases a massive amount of energy. If you could somehow gather up and weigh all the material from the bomb after the explosion, the total weight would be less than the original weight (I’m not sure by how much).
How much energy is released in an atomic bomb?
The atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima released about 1.5×1013 joules of energy.
How much energy did the atomic bomb release?
It exploded with an energy of approximately 15 kilotons of TNT (63 TJ) and caused widespread death and destruction throughout the city. The Hiroshima bombing was the second man-made nuclear explosion in history, after the Trinity nuclear test.
How does the energy of a nuclear bomb work?
Nuclear energy results from changes in the nucleus of atoms. Scientists and engineers have found many uses for this energy from the production of electricity to the destructive power of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are far more destructive than any conventional (non-nuclear) weapon. They are often called atomic bombs or hydrogen bombs.
What is the efficiency of a nuclear bomb to convert matter?
Worse for fission bombs. The conversion of matter into energy yields 20 kilotons per gram. So look up yields and weights of the bomb of your choice, and do a little arithmetic: (assuming you are talking about the gross weapon weight when speaking of “efficiency”).
How does the yield of a nuclear weapon work?
The “yield” of a nuclear weapon is a measure of the amount of explosive energy it can produce. The yield is given in terms of the quantity of TNT that would generate the same amount of energy when it explodes. Thus, a 1 kiloton nuclear weapon is one which produces the same amount of energy in an explosion as does 1 kiloton (1,000 tons) of TNT.
How much energy does it take to make a hydrogen bomb?
So it takes 327kg of hydrogen to produce 50MT of energy by using a thermonuclear reaction ( Proton-Proton chain). Of that 327kg, only 0.712% or 2.33kg is converted to energy. Thermonuclear weapons use lithium deuteride as the bulk source of hydrogen. This substance is a solid salt at normal temperatures.