developed to produce i -+
Lic
the critical material for».
The process of the sr.
i
ttior
"2
°
-
7
impossible to imagine, under: tan:, of
«
6:
in
the
is capable of flattening buildings
anc
potential energy which,
bomb,
of square miles;
when
released
"mited States,
"Fas. er," 15 nearly
Troms,
smell, touch, or hear because they are
hs
previ te
tick we cannot see,
save a fantastic amount of
© r- of an explosion of a single
© corching earth over hundreds
of killing and maiming millicns of reople
immediately,
and
more millions in the near and distant future.
In effect, however, the basic power of the atomic homb comes from two
things:
the force which binds the atom together and a chain reaction,
Even
though atoms are very tiny, the amount of force binding the atom and its
parts together is very great for its size,
When a neutron strikes a
fissionable atom, the atom may split, and following the splitting, may
produce additional neutrons,
In turn, these neutrons may produce splitting
of nearly fissionable atoms,
A chain reaction is said to exist when the
which in turn set off still more, until all have been sprung.
When this chain
controlled, it can be used for electricity-generating
atomic power plants.
The reaction heats water and turns it into steam, which
The tremendous relative energy contained by fissionahle material
a
,.
4
ee
the
t
tL
—-
as opposed to regular sources of energy might be illustrated this way:
10
—
explosion,
&
When, however, this reaction is "uncontrolled," it results in an atomic
Sena!
drives turbines connected to generators, which produce electricity.
»
h
reaction is slow and
ae
The ball trips one mouse trap, which in turn sets off its neighbors,
,
balls.
perce
into a room in which the floor is covered by mouse traps set with ping pong
i beh g
1
An example of a "chain reaction" is where a hall is tossed
Som——Fath——
nearby atom.
so!
+
splitting of one atom produces on an average the splitting of more than one