A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its force from nuclear reactions involving the use of fission and fusion. These reactions release a vast amount of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. Nuclear weapons are considered to be weapons of mass destruction and their use has been a topic of discussion since their debut in 1945. There are two basic types of nuclear weapons (Wikipedia 2013). The first type derives the majority of its energy from nuclear fission reactions alone. Weapons whose explosive output is obtained only from fission reactions are commonly referred to as atomic bombs or atom bombs (abbreviated as A-bombs). The first atomic bomb was used by the United states during the Cold War and was called ‘Little Boy’ (Wikipedia 2014). Figure 1.1 shows the structure of a gun type fission weapon similar to the ‘little boy’ bomb. The second type uses fission reactions to begin nuclear fusion reactions which in turn produce a large amount of the total energy output. Such fusion weapons are known as thermonuclear weapons or hydrogen bombs (abbreviated as H-bombs). Figure 1.2 shows the structure of such a weapon. There are other types of nuclear weapons such as a boosted fission weapon and a neutron bomb. Most variation in nuclear weapon design is for the purpose of achieving different yields for different situations, and to manipulating design elements in order to minimize weapon size (Wikipedia 2013). Nuclear weapons have been used twice in the course of warfare, both times by the United States, near the end of World War II, to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, they have been detonated for testing purposes and demonstrations more than 2000 times. Countries that have acknowledged possession of... ... middle of paper ... ...heir nuclear arsenals (Deen 2013). Yet nuclear weapons are not the currency of international status and power they once were (Street 2013). "Leaving aside current force trends, I am convinced that to ultimately reach the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world, we will have to first overcome what might called the persistence of deterrence thinking. This will require us in effect to redraw our mental maps of how best to defend against 21st-century threats." says Kile. However, he pointed out that this might actually be the biggest challenge in moving toward a nuclear weapon free world (Deen 2013). "The best way to eliminate the nuclear threat anywhere is by eliminating nuclear weapons everywhere", says General Ban Ki-moon, who is counted among the strongest opponents of nuclear arms (Deen 2013). Indeed, the road to a nuclear weapon free world seems to be a long way off.
Any country with a nuclear program has the prospective to make nuclear weapons. The fuel of a nuclear reactor at its core is uranium. Low enriched uranium is used in energy production while the highly enriched version is used to make weapons and is called weapons grade uranium. The atom bomb that landed in Hiroshima used 60kg of weapons grade uranium and since the advancements of warfare it now only requires 20-25kg to make a nuclear weapon. Plutonium which is a byproduct of the fission process can also be used for manufacturing weapons and only requires 2-10kg to develop weapons. The atom bomb that landed in Nagasaki contained plutonium fuel. Depleted uranium, which is the left over from the enrichment process, is used to make military grade armor piercing bullets. These DU penetrators have been used in wars throughout history the most recent being the Gulf wars. This is a disadvantage because the depleted uranium is toxic and has been scientifically proven cause birth defects, cancer, and death where it was used. All these effects were the cause of discovering nuclear fission and its
While most people are scared of the devastation caused by nuclear weapons, they do keep the world safe. The fear caused by such weapons actually keeps countries closer to peace. When nations come into conflict they keep it minimal as they are scared to cross boundaries and have a nuclear strike. Countries out there are always going to have nuclear weapons, so the United States must keep them so others are to scared to have us retaliate. Some scientist believes that we might need them other than war, such as to stop a meteor from hitting the earth. Accuracy has been revolutionized to keep a small nuclear strike as small as possible without the high number of casualties.
Nuclear weapons are a problem that the world is facing today as countries want to have their
International Panel on Fissile Materials. 2010. Reducing and Eliminating Nuclear Weapons: Country Perspectives on the Challenges to Nuclear Disarmament.
Eric Schollser argues in his paper “Today’s Nuclear Dilemma,” that the nuclear weapons in the world, and the issues that they are associated with, should be of major concern to today’s society. Nuclear Weapons were of world wide concern during the time of the Cold War. These weapons, and their ability to cause colossal devastation, brought nightmares into reality as the threat of nuclear war was a serious and imminent issue. The US and Russia both built up their inventories of these pieces of artillery, along with the rest of their arsenals, in an attempt to overpower the other. This past terror has become a renewed concern because many of the countries with these nuclear weapons in their control have started to update their collections. One
But before we get to the whys and why not’s about nuclear weapons, it is important to understand how Nuclear weapons work, how they are so deadly and why countries want them. Nuclear weapons get their power from harnessing the power of nature. According to atomicarchive.com a nuclear weapon gains it’s lethality from certain isotopes of Uranium or Plutonium which can cause a nuclear chain reaction. In a nuclear reaction an atom of either Uranium 235 or Plutonium 239, attracts a neutron that when it bonds with the atom it makes the atom explode and send out two more neutrons. Then the two neutrons released by the first reaction makes two...
An idea that has not sunk into the politicians and generals of the nuclear powers skulls is the fact that nuclear weapons are expensive. In 1983, a missile submarine cost more than the education budgets of twenty-three 3rd world countries. A comparison for nuclear weapons would be akin to that of computers: It becomes obsolete very quickly, and the state of the art technology used is astronomically maintenance expensive. Building nuclear weapons is like dumping your money in a hole: It is not going to be coming back.
According to Merriam-Webster, nuclear fission is defined as “the splitting of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of large amounts of energy” (Nuclear Fission). In the book Remembering the Manhattan Project: Perspectives on the Making of the Atomic Bomb and Its Legacy, Richard Rhodes, an American journalist and historian, states that fission was essentially discovered by accident. On December 21, 1938, German physicists, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman, were performing an experiment in which they bombarded uranium atoms with neutrons (Rhodes 17). They saw that this procedure created mutated atoms that had strange characteristics. Hahn and Strassman found that the neutrons split the nuclei of the uranium in half producing radioactive barium and krypton (Rhodes 18). Rhodes explains that the physicists observed that the reaction was extremely exothermic, producing about ten times the energy needed for the fission to occur. After publishing their findings, physicists all over the world recreated the experiment. After conducting his own fission experiment, Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist at Colombia University, said, “A little bomb like that and it would all disappear” (qtd. Rhodes 19). Many of the world’s physicists came to the same conclusion; this reaction could be used to develop an atomic weapon. According to Rhodes, this discovery made the development of atomic weaponry seem essential to many countries because the only way to defend themselves against atomic weapons was to have similar weapons of their own.
Out of all the dangerous powers and authority our government wields, possibly the most threatening powers are nuclear weapons. People tend to be frightened by things they do not understand, which make nuclear weapons a perfect catalyst for fear. These weapons have the most overwhelming and destructive power known to man; although, nuclear weapons are only safe in countries that try to maintain harmony and stability. Nuclear weapons are defined as “explosive devices whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.” This power is both dangerous and unstable in the hands of small erratic countries.
During last 50 years of development, the nuclear bomb, as the ultimate weapon became the peacekeeping force on the earth. The nuclear bomb was developed in Manhattan project during the WW II and was successfully tested in the New Mexico on July 16 1945. At this point started the change of nuclear weapon from ultimate weapon to political weapon. USA decided to use the atomic bomb to defeat Japan in order to save around 500.000 lives of American soldiers that were needed to end the war and in the summer 1945 the USA dropped two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The nuclear weapon raised the confidence of USA but president Truman did not ordered its mass production because at that time he saw no explicit political function for the bomb. USA even tried to internationalize control of the bomb under the UNITED NATIONS but the Soviets were reluctant to support American plan for two reasons. To stop soviet nuclear program before developing the first soviet bomb would give Americans permanent lead in nuclear weapons technology. Soviets believed that instruments of force always have political capabilities. For the Kremlin weapons were political tools. This led Americans to the same conclusion. The beginning of Cold War created several political functions of nuclear weapons: nuclear deterrence, alliance building, and international prestige.
Also today is the danger that life is extinguished on earth through such a horrible weapon , not over. Many states are in possession of nuclear bombs , because that means for them power. Even dictatorships and unjust regime like China and North Korea have nuclear weapons.
It was not until the 19th century that the atomic hypothesis achieved some progress. (The Birth of the Bomb.) The bomb has been used only two times on war. Both were in World War II, used by the United States of America against China. One by the name of “Little Boy” and another one named “Fat Boy.” Many will argue that the development of nuclear weapons has acted as a deterrent against severe conflicts and, to date, there are an estimated 15,375 nuclear weapons stockpiled around the world (Atomic Analysis.) Russia is said to account for 7,300 of these, while the US holds 6,970. The UK has 215, with Pakistan, India and Israel accounting for 130, 120 and 80 nuclear weapons respectively. The world’s nuclear stockpile peaked in 1986 at just over 60,000 weapons but has since steadily decreased. (Atomic Analysis.) The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons aims to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons, but its
Throughout the entirety of the twentieth century, the most disputed topic of discussion has perhaps been that of nuclear weapons. Some people argue these weapons of mass destruction are vital to the survival of order and decency in the world, while others contend that nuclear weapons will bring an end to civilization as we now know it. Regardless of both of these arguments, there are two things that just about nobody can deny – nuclear weapons are extremely expensive and enormously destructive.
The Cold War was a time of great tension all over the world. From 1945 to 1989, the United States was the leader and nuclear power and was competing with the Soviet Union to create huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. However, even though the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons are still a threat. Countries around the world strive to create nuclear power, and they do not promise to use it for peaceful purposes. Some examples of the struggles caused by nuclear weapons include the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s recent nuclear weapon program. Surely, nuclear weapons have created conflict all over the world since the Cold War era.
The Hydrogen Bomb The Atomic Bomb Was A Essential First Step toward the Development of the Hydrogen Bomb, Before the atomic bomb was developed by the united states during World War II, there was no way to produce the extreme amounts of heat needed to initiate the fusion reaction of the hydrogen bomb. Even after World War II, the hydrogen bomb faced many political and technical obstacles. The U.S. government gave priority to perfecting and stockpiling atomic bombs, and scientist discovered that initiating a fusion reaction was more than simply placing a container of hydrogen near a fission trigger.