The Atomic Bomb

Hugo Caraballo

Meredith Duval

Adam Harvey

Matt Ruby

*1932 Atom first experimentally split by John Cockcroft and E. T. S. Walton of Great Britain at Ernest Rutherford’s Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University.

*1934 Enrico Fermi unknowingly causes the first laboratorycontained nuclear fission reaction.

Cockcroft Rutherford Walton

Fermi

*1939 J. Robert Oppenheimer foresees the possibility of the atomic bomb upon hearing about the theory of fission.

*August, 1939 Leo Szilard and Albert Einstein write a letter to President Roosevelt outlining the dangers of a German bomb project.

This led to…

The Manhattan Project*Started in late 1941 with the goal of developing an atomic bomb before Germany

*In Truman’s presidency, the purpose expanded to forcing Japan’s surrender and having control over postwar policy

First Major Challenge:

Finding an acceptable and plentiful source of fuel

U-235: major fuel source

*Magnetic Separation

*Gaseous Diffusion

Production Methods:

Fission

U + n U X + e 23892

23992

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0-1

23993 energy

First DetonationAlamogordo, New Mexico

July 16, 1945

Fat ManLittle Boy

Hiroshima & NagasakiHiroshima : Aug 6, 1945

Nagasaki : Aug 9, 1945

DestructionImmediate effects:

*Blast 35%

*Thermal radiation 60%

*Ionizing radiation 5%

Radiation:*Penetrates the skin, destroying important molecules and cells

Delayed effects:

Long-term Radioactive Fallout causes*Increased rates of cancer*Genetic defects*Radiation sickness

But DON’T worry ! !

The atomic bomb is now all but obsolete!

Now we have OTHER weapons of massdestruction, such as

*Hydrogen Bombs

*Biological Weapons

*Finals&