The Atomic Bomb Hugo Caraballo Meredith Duval Adam Harvey Matt Ruby

*1932 Atom first experimentally split by John Cockcroft and E. T. S. Walton of Great Britain at Ernest Rutherford’s Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. *1934 Enrico Fermi unknowingly causes the first laboratory contained nuclear fission reaction. CockcroftRutherfordWalton Fermi

*1939 J. Robert Oppenheimer foresees the possibility of the atomic bomb upon hearing about the theory of fission.

*August, 1939 Leo Szilard and Albert Einstein write a letter to President Roosevelt outlining the dangers of a German bomb project. This led to…

The Manhattan Project *Started in late 1941 with the goal of developing an atomic bomb before Germany *In Truman’s presidency, the purpose expanded to forcing Japan’s surrender and having control over postwar policy

First Major Challenge: Finding an acceptable and plentiful source of fuel U-235: major fuel source *Magnetic Separation *Gaseous Diffusion Production Methods:

Fission U + n  U  X + e  energy

First Detonation Alamogordo, New Mexico July 16, 1945

Fat Man Little Boy

Hiroshima & Nagasaki Hiroshima : Aug 6, 1945 Nagasaki : Aug 9, 1945 

Destruction Immediate effects: *Blast 35% *Thermal radiation 60% *Ionizing radiation 5%

Radiation: *Penetrates the skin, destroying important molecules and cells Delayed effects: Long-term Radioactive Fallout causes *Increased rates of cancer *Genetic defects *Radiation sickness

But DON’T worry !! The atomic bomb is now all but obsolete! Now we have OTHER weapons of mass destruction, such as *Hydrogen Bombs *Biological Weapons *Finals &