how does atomic bomb work?
955928
In a fission bomb, shaped explosives force a weapons-grade plutonium core to undergo fission.\n\nAn a fusion (hydrogen) bomb, the energy comes from the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium, and is much more powerful that fission bombs.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon
37488
An atomic bomb is composed of some heavy-duty explosives, U-235 or P-239, and a neutron source.\n\nThe neutron source is in the center, surrounded by the Uranium or Plutonium, and then the explosives. Upon detonation, the explosives explode simultaneously, crushing the nuclear material in on the neutron source. This causes the material to achieve critical mass and a massive chain reaction takes place. Very massive.
794246
Absolutely.  In fact, there have been several different approaches, including zapping little pellets with a monster laser (NOVA), which are then immersed in water.  These minuscule nuclear bombs fuse and release their energy into the water, creating steam and turning turbines.\n\nThe most promising method, however, is a fusion reactor; a magnetic bottle which traps plasma.  Fusion occurs when the electromagnetic forces of nuclei (which are positive) are overcome.  In order to get nuclei, atoms are injected into the reactor and brought to immense temperatures.  The individual atoms, which are neutral, become so energetic that the electrons are stripped from the nuclei, creating plasma.  Plasma is simply free electrons (negatively charged and unbounded to a nucleus) and the positively charged nuclei.  Because these are positively and negatively charged, the plasma is contained within magnetic field lines.  This is the proverbial "magnetic bottle".\n\nThe nuclei smash into each other, creating helium nuclei and excess neutrons.  These neutrons are EXTREMELY energetic (14 MeV), and are neutrally charged.  Therefore, these neutrons zip right past the magnetic field lines.  The charged plasma remains, continuing the fusion process; and the neutrons are captured in water, where elastic collisions with H2O molecules transfers the energy from the neutrons to the water, heating the water, turning it to steam, and turning the turbines.\n\nThere are a couple of major problems.  First, the sun is very big and very hot.  Getting similar temperatures and pressures on Earth is next to impossible.  Although the energy released is several orders of magnitude greater than the energy put in when the process is going a full capacity, getting it started has been very difficult.  However, through TFTR and the new ITER, already the plasmas have generated more energy than were used to start the process.  This is a big step.\n\nAlso, the magnetic bottle and the plasma can experience some strange instabilities and wave functions.  Any time a harmonic resonance-like phenomena occurs, the fusion can break down, the plasma cools, and the process slows or stops.  As the test reactors continue to gather data, these phenomena are better understood.\n\nFinally, those 14 MeV neutron zip through the magnetic bottle and the water, and interact with impurities in the concrete and building materials, creating radioactive waste.  This waste is not insignificant - huge amounts of concrete becomes low-level waste.  Low level waste is NOT a measure of how dangerous it is - this stuff can be very dangerous - but it will only remain dangerous for about 100 years or so.  It's not the stuff that remains deadly for thousands of years.\n\nSo solve the instabilities, be able to sustain a plasma and reaction long enough to become self-sustaining, and be prepared for the low level waste, and fusion will become an almost unlimited energy supply.
453479
The only nuclear weapons ever used in battle were at\nHiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan on Aug 6 and Aug 9 1945.\nThey were the 2nd and 3rd nuclear devices ever exploded \nin history. The first was a test in Almogordo, New Mexico. The first and third explosions were from plutonium and the\nsecond, from uranium. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki\nweapons had code names, Little Boy and Fat Man. The names\nreflected their shape. Little Boy was narrow and long,\nsomewhat pencil shaped and had an explosive ignition.\nFat Man was altogether larger, spherical shaped and had \nan implosive ignition. Little Boy was carried by a B-29\nnamed Enola Gay after the captain's mother. Fat Man\nwas carried by a B-29 named Bock's Car after the captain's\nname. Both planes took off from Tinian Island.
1168838
Well, aside from the incredible wealth of supporting evidence as to the existence of an atom (that is what you are really asking, right?) there are a couple of great historic events that prove we can split an atom. Furthermore, while you cannot see a single atom, everything that you do see is an aggregation of atoms. But, back to how we know, in August of 1945, the second world war was ended by dropping two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. You see, at it's simplest, an atom bomb's power is derived from the chain reaction that occurs from the splitting of the atom. Lord knows, no one has ever seen what happens when an atom is split. So, how do we know that we can split an atom? I mean, it's not like the threat of splitting an atom over a major population center didn't hold the world in a cold war for the better part of a century. Wow dude. I mean seriously, wow.
571937
A weapon bomb is weapon which explodes on a target or on a desired time or distance.\n\nA nuclear bomb is a bomb which explodes as a result of a nuclear reaction\n\nThere are various types of nuclear bombs:\nAtom Bomb: The bomb in which nuclei of heavy radioactive substances are broken by bobmardment of neutrons.\n\nHydrogen Bomb: The bomb in which Hydrogen atoms are forced to merge into one another to form Helium. \n\nNeutron Bomb: A type of Atom Bomb in which disintigration of nuclei is carried under controlled conditions.
18708
One way is to strip off a bunch of its electrons with\nlight pulses or with charged plates...and then send\nit to circulate through a curved magnetic field\n(since the atom has lost some electrons, it is now\ncharged, and charged particles speed up when you\nput them into a curved magnetic field). When you get\nthe atom going really really fast, change the field\nand let the particle slam into a target. Sort of\nlike throwing an alarm clock against a wall really hard....\nthe atom smashes open and we see its "insides"\ncome screaming out (using a special detector).\n \nThis is called a "particle accelerator,
590426
A beam of laser light is shined on the target either by a ground unit in the area or by the aircraft which is targeting the place you want to bomb, then when the bomb is dropped it 'sees' the reflected laser light and maneuvers towards it with great precision (usually) by manipulating small movable fins on the bomb itself which guide it towards the intended target. BOOM, it's Miller time.
445580
http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-bomb.htm
225113
Helium bomb? Do you mean hydrogen bomb?\n\nAnyway, an atomic bomb uses uranium or plutonium, heavy elements, and bombards them with a force, which splits the heavy nuclei into smaller nuclei, with a huge rush of energy. This is called nuclear fission.\n\nHydrogen bombs are kind of the opposite. They perform nuclear fusion, which is much harder to do. Hydrogen bombs use atomic bombs to provide the force. In the center is a pellet of deuterium, a hydrogen isotope with a neutron. The deuterium fuses together to form helium, creating a much, much, much bigger explosion than fission.\n\nOne modern hydrogen bomb can instantly vaporize all the water in the San Francisco Bay.
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A nuclear weapon is a weapon which derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions of fission or fusion. As a result, even a nuclear weapon with a relatively small yield is significantly more powerful than the largest conventional explosives, and a single weapon is capable of destroying an entire city.\n\nIn the history of warfare, nuclear weapons have been used only twice, both during the closing days of World War II. The first event occurred on the morning of August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped a uranium gun-type device code-named "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The second event occurred three days later when a plutonium implosion-type device code-named "Fat Man" was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. The use of these weapons, which resulted in the immediate deaths of around 100,000 to 200,000 individuals and even more over time, was and remains controversial — critics around the world charged that they were unnecessary acts of mass killing, while others claimed that they ultimately reduced casualties on both sides by hastening the end of the war. This topic has seen increased debate recently in the wake of increased terrorism involving killings of civilians by both state and non-state players, with parties claiming that the end justifies the means (see Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for a full discussion).\n\nSince the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, nuclear weapons have been detonated on over two thousand occasions for testing and demonstration purposes. The only countries known to have detonated such weapons are (chronologically) the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Various other countries may hold nuclear weapons but have never publicly admitted possession, or their claims to possession have not been verified. For example, Israel has modern airborne delivery systems and appears to have an extensive nuclear program with hundreds of warheads (see Israel and weapons of mass destruction), though it officially maintains a policy of "ambiguity" with respect to its actual possession of nuclear weapons. Iran currently stands accused by a number of governments of attempting to develop nuclear capabilities, though its government claims that its acknowledged nuclear activities, such as uranium enrichment, are for peaceful purposes. South Africa also secretly developed a small nuclear arsenal, but disassembled it in the early 1990s. (For more information see List of countries with nuclear weapons.)\n\nApart from their use as weapons, nuclear explosives have been tested and used for various non-military uses.
159405
Conventional bombs are essentially a very violent chemical reaction, usually a very fast oxidation or a rapid decomposition of a very unstable compound.  In any case, a tremendous amount of heat is generated that causes a very fast expansion.  Aside from the heat generating a potential fireball, the rapid expansion creates shockwaves through the air and whatever other matter is in close proximity to the bomb.  It is this shockwave which does the most damage.\n\nAtomic/Nuclear weapons are a bit more complex, though the principles are essentially the same.  The chemical reaction is replaced by a nuclear chain reaction known as fission.  This produces a truly astronomical amount of heat, resulting in a mammoth shockwave.
1122346
Cf: atomic bombs and nuclear power plants. They use the conversion of a tiny amount of mass to lots and lots of energy.
759104
what is the atom made of and explain how they work?
366546
The effect of the bomb depends on how big it is. The major effects are blast, heat and radiation, and they would reach out from "ground zero" depending on the size of the bomb. London is a big city, so very likely the effects would be limited to London, not the whole of England.
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Usually, you shoot a high energy neutron at it.  It's like in pool, when you break in billiards.  You shoot one ball very fast at the pile of balls, and then they break apart.
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As others have said, it's relationship between energy and mass.  However, there are a few additional points about it which are interesting.  The mass here is the rest mass, the mass of an object when it is at rest relative to the person doing the measurement.  Some things, like photons, have no rest mass.  Their energy is give by E=(h-bar)(nu) where h-bar is Planck's constant divided by two pi, and nu is the frequency, in rad/sec, not Hertz. Additionally, E=MC^2 isn't the total energy for a particle, it can also have kinetic energy if it is moving with respect to the observer.  So, it's really E=MC^2+KE, where KE is the kinetic energy of the particle.    \n\nYou can also switch it around and consider that the mass, M is equal to the total energy divided by the speed of light squared.  In this case, you can calculate the mass for things which can vary based on the energy the object has, and not just the rest mass energy equivalence, but also the kinetic energy.  This is where much of the mass consumed in a nuclear reaction comes from.  Reorganization of nulcei to lower energy states gives them a lower mass, since the total energy is lower, and this change in mass is released as energetic radiation.  So, the core of a nuclear bomb contains ~ 10 kilos of highly enriched uranium, but only a tiny fraction of that is consumed in the explosion.  If all ten kilos were fully converted to energy, it would be enough energy to destroy the earth.  Instead, a tiny fraction of a gram is consumed when the nuclei undergo an out of control chain reaction, reogranizing and spitting out radiation, which destabilizes and causes the reorganization of neighboring nuclei, and so the reaction proceeds until most of the nuclei in the bomb core (called the "pit") have reorganized.  By this time, it's exploded and it would be very difficult to reassemble and weigh all the atoms left over from the reaction, but, if you could, you'd find the total would be less mass than the 10 kilos you started with.  \n\nChanges in mass when energy is absorbed or emitted is actually true for things other than nuclear reactions.  If you're running past me at 5 kilometers per hour, you actually weigh more than if you're standing stationary next to me.  However, given that the conversion ratio between mass and energy is the speed of light squared, which is a very large number, the amount of mass you gain by running at such a low speed is so small as to be unmeasurable.  Only if very large amounts of kinetic energy are involved does it become important.  If you were to fly past me at nine tenths the speed of light in a spaceship, and I could measure your mass as you passed, by, say, deflecting your path by bouncing something off you to see how much acceleration you gain for a given amount of force and using F=MA to calculate your mass, I'd find that you had a significantly higher mass.    \n\nSo, the simplest form of the statement, the one which calculates just the rest mass/energy relationship, is only part of the importance of this equation.