Radiation is the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as subatomic particles. Through radiation, energy is transmitted in forms such as light, heat and sound. Right alongside of radiation is “radioactive decay”. It is the spontaneous, or random, disintegration of a radioactive substance which comes along with the emission of ionizing radiation. Radiation can be devastating on surrounding communities and living environments when it is released from highly nuclear materials, such as the nuclear bombs which many countries have been using for years.
Nuclear weapons are destructive bombs that get their explosive power from transforming matter into energy. Nuclear weapons are classified as chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction (WMD & WMDs). Many people have speculated that their extensive power used during wars could destroy human civilization as we know it. The nations of the world have long sought ways to halt, limit, and destroy these weapons of mass destruction and keep the use of them out of wars. The program of abolishing nuclear weapons should be carried out.
Nuclear Fission: a Detailed Analysis of the Discovery and Applications Nuclear Fission, “a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy.” as defined by the dictionary. Nuclear Fission played a large role in World War II. After the U.S was antagonized by the Japanese, the US began to implement Nuclear Fission into weaponry. These weapons of mass destruction were a new milestone in wars. It shocked the world and quickly ended the war.
The bomb would also have unpredictable effects on the environment and would change the nature of foreign policy. The atomic bomb left a devastating aftermath in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War ll. Both bombs that landed in Japan ending World War ll killed thousands of innocent Japanese citizens, left radiation on the land, and in the few survivors
Critical mass is the mass at which the nuclear reactions going on inside the material can make up for the neutrons that are leaving the material through its outside surface. These materials are usually separated within the bomb so that critical mass cannot be reached until the bomb is ready to explode. Once the chemical reactions within the bomb begin, the neutrons released by each reaction hit other atoms and create more fission reactions until all the material is scattered, or completely exhausted. This process releases enormous amounts of energy in the form of extreme heat and a massive shock wave. These nuclear explosions, in addition to their pressure waves, high winds, and flash burns, produce deadly radiation that contaminates soil and water, and destroyed living matter.
Therefore, any human being, or any other life form, caught in the blast is bound to perish. (Glasstone & Dolan, 1977) Secondly, a nuclear detonation would cause the emission of thermal radiation composed of a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum such as infrared, ultra violet, and x rays. (Aftergood & Pike, 1998) This discharge of energy in the form of thermal radiation causes objects to heat up to extreme temperatures which can lead to first, second, and even, thi... ... middle of paper ... ...wn as the most feared invention ever created by mankind, showing that, based on the person who exploits it, even the most beneficial discoveries can become the most terrible. Works Cited Aftergood, S., & Pike, J. (1998.).
Biological weapons are a widely used source of terror. The definition of a biological weapon is a harmful biological agent (as a pathogenic microorganism or a neurotoxin) used as a weapon to cause death or disease usually on a large scale (“Biological Weapon,” The Merriam- Webster Dictionary). There are numerous substances used as biological weapons. Some include Glanders, Botulism, and Brucellosis. Biological weapons consist of a kind of substance or disease that is used to launch an attack on a large population of people.
Understanding Nuclear Arms Nuclear arms are weapons of mass destruction powered by atomic processes. Using nuclear fission or fusion, they produce huge explosions and hazardous radioactive by-products. Most are meant to be delivered by artillery, plane, ship, or ballistic missile (ICBM), but some have been miniaturized. Tactical nuclear weapons can have the power of a fraction of a kiloton of TNT; strategic weapons can produce thousands of kilotons of force. An atomic bomb is weapon deriving its great explosive force from the sudden release through the fission, or splitting, of heavy atomic nuclei.
Bioterrorism: Smallpox Smallpox is a highly infectious and fatal disease caused by the Variola virus. It causes extremely painful pustules to sprout across the entire body. Spread from human to human, it has since been eradicated from the world through the efforts of the World Health Organization. However, there is a distinct possibility that it may be reintroduced through bioterrorism. Biological weapons may cause another pandemic to erupt across the world and kill millions of individuals.
Cody Wilcox English 3 April 28, 2014 Period A Weapons of Mass Destruction Weapons of mass destruction are designed to cause chaos in our world, they are the type of situations we need to fix immediately. Weapons of mass destruction are the worst and most horrible creations we have in our world. Today we have a major threat with Iraq, Korea, and Russia. Weapons of mass destruction are a chemical, biological or radioactive weapon causing widespread death and destruction. If someone fires a nuclear weapon which is a WMD that can cause a whole mess in our world with the environment and it can ruin a whole nation or country.