- #1
Karimspencer
- 117
- 0
Does it give a lot or is nuclear fission only powerful when you have a large quantity?
Karimspencer said:I see... That means if you get about 1 kg of uranium235, you could make a huge explosion...
When making nuclear bombs , how much uranium do you need to release such energy?
Karimspencer said:That's pretty huge and viscous... Isn't it easy to make a huge explosion. I mean there are people that sneak some uranium with them and i am guessing they can take in about 1 kg of uranium, can't they?
Drakkith said:No it isn't that easy. The process either requires enough material to have critical mass without compression, which is much more than 1 kg, or it requires compression by explosives, which is extremely challenging in itself due to the required timing
accuracy of the explosions. Even if you did have enough material, simply throwing it together in a big lump would be dangerous, but would not result in a nuclear explosion of any significant magnitude.
The short story is that making a nuclear weapon is not simple and easy.
Energy is released from nuclear fission in a uranium atom when the atom's nucleus is split into smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation.
One uranium atom can release approximately 200 million electron volts (MeV) of energy through nuclear fission. This is equivalent to about 3.2 x 10^-11 joules of energy.
The amount of energy released in nuclear fission is determined by the mass difference between the original uranium atom and the resulting smaller nuclei. This mass difference is converted into energy according to Einstein's famous equation, E=mc^2.
The energy released from nuclear fission in one uranium atom is significantly higher than most other sources of energy. For example, the energy released from burning a single atom of coal is only about 0.0000000000004 joules, while the energy released from nuclear fission in one uranium atom is about 3.2 x 10^-11 joules.
Nuclear fission can be a sustainable source of energy if it is managed properly and the necessary safety precautions are taken. However, the supply of uranium is limited, so it is important to explore alternative sources of nuclear fuel, such as thorium, to ensure the sustainability of nuclear energy in the long term.