Nuclear Weapons

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Nuclear weapons are one of the most powerful weapons available to humans in terms of energy released. Only two nuclear weapons have thus far been used for war purposes in human history; detonated by the United States on Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. The Manhattan Project was started during World War II with the intention of making an atomic weapon for the United States. Today’s nuclear weapons are over 200x more powerful. Nuclear weapons are the only WMD that is not blocked by international treaties. However, it is still considered a WMD due to its massive blast effect, radiation, and potential to wreck destruction. A single 1 megaton detonation would cause a fireball of 5,700 feet with a blast wave travelling about 784 mph. Heavily reinforced concrete buildings are torn to shreds; firestorms rage for hours after the detonation. For those who survive in the surrounding area, radiation poising sets in. For up to decades, cancer, birth defects, and other maladies will plague those cities near the detonation. However, this isn’t even the worse that can happen. Most active nuclear weapons are greater than 1 megaton; the largest ever being 50 megatonnes. In addition, more than one bomb would most likely be dropped. Nuclear weapons use radioactive substances for their warheads. Radioactive substance are made up of unstable radioactive atoms. Radioactivity occurs because all atoms attempt to become stable. Unstable atoms will “decay” until they are stable. If an unstable atom is decaying, it is said to be radioactive. The amount of time for half of an atom’s nucli to become stable is called that element’s half-life. Uranium-238 (the element most often used for nuclear weapons) has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. There are three types of... ... middle of paper ... ...f the longest wars that almost brought the entire world to destruction. Today, we recognize the horrible effects nuclear warfare would cause, and are attempting to have them internationally banned; similar to how biological and chemical (the other types of WMDs) have been banned. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, as the study of nuclear weapons can be directed towards peaceful endeavors (such as clean energy). Thus allowing us all the benefits of studying nuclear physics with none of the downfalls of nuclear proliferation. Works Cited Rossenfeld, Carrie. "Science." Atomic Archive. Ed. Chris Griffith. AJ Software & Multimedia, 2008. Web. 20 May 2010. . Freudenrich PhD, Craig, and John Fuller. "How Nuclear Bombs Work." Howstuffworks. 05 Oct. 2000. Web. 20 May 2010. .

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