fission bomb
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A type of nuclear weapon where an immense amount of energy is released through the process of nuclear fission. This involves splitting the nuclei of heavy atoms, such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239, in a rapid, uncontrolled chain reaction.
Usage
The term "fission bomb" is used to describe the first type of nuclear weapon ever developed, distinguishing it from later thermonuclear weapons. It refers specifically to the explosive device and the physics principle it utilizes. - The first fission bomb was tested in New Mexico in 1945. - A fission bomb relies on a supercritical mass of fissile material.
Advanced Usage
- Technical Context: In physics and military history, "fission bomb" precisely denotes the mechanism of energy release, as opposed to fusion.
- Historical Context: Often used when discussing the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were fission-based weapons.
Variants and Related Words
- Atomic bomb: A common synonym for a fission bomb.
- Nuclear bomb: A broader term that encompasses both fission and fusion (hydrogen) bombs.
- Plutonium bomb / Uranium bomb: Specifies the type of fissile material used in the fission bomb.
- Fission (n): The core nuclear process of splitting an atomic nucleus.
- Fissile (adj): Describes material capable of sustaining fission.
Synonyms
- Atomic bomb
- A-bomb (informal)
Related Phrases
- Chain reaction: The self-sustaining series of nuclear fissions that powers the explosion.
- Critical mass: The minimum amount of fissile material needed to maintain a nuclear chain reaction.
- Nuclear fallout: The residual radioactive material propelled into the atmosphere following a nuclear explosion, such as that from a fission bomb.
Noun
- a nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission (splitting the nuclei of a heavy element like uranium 235 or plutonium 239)