2. The Atomic Bomb Hugo Caraballo Meredith Duval Adam Harvey Matt Ruby

3. *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

4. *1939 J. Robert Oppenheimer foresees the possibility of the atomic bomb upon hearing about the theory of fission.

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

6. 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

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

8. Fission U + n  U  X + e  238 92 239 92 1010 0 239 93 energy

9. First Detonation Alamogordo, New Mexico July 16, 1945

10. Fat Man Little Boy

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

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

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

15. 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 &