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For uranium fueled atomic bombs ordinary gunpowders are adequate to assemble a critical mass without a fizzle.

For plutonium fueled atomic bombs high explosives must be used to assemble a critical mass without a fizzle. The first such bombs used Composition B (a predecessor of modern C-4) and Baritol. Modern bombs use shock and fire resistant plastic bonded explosives.

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βˆ™ 12y ago
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βˆ™ 6mo ago

Conventional high explosives, such as TNT or RDX, are typically used to compress the nuclear material in a nuclear weapon to achieve a supercritical mass and initiate the nuclear chain reaction.

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Q: What conventional explosives are used to trigger a nuclear weapon?
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Can nuclear weapon explode if nuclear tipped missile is intercepted in air by the anti ballistic missile?

No, a nuclear weapon will not explode if a nuclear-tipped missile is intercepted in the air by an anti-ballistic missile. The detonation process of a nuclear weapon requires specific conditions and triggers that are not present in a scenario where the missile is intercepted in the air.


What is inside of a nuke?

A nuclear weapon typically contains a fissile material such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239, high explosives to trigger the nuclear chain reaction, and various components to control the explosion and enhance the weapon's efficiency.


What are some of the things in nuclear weapons?

Some of the components of nuclear weapons include a fissile material like uranium or plutonium, a triggering mechanism to initiate the nuclear chain reaction, and a delivery system such as a missile or bomber aircraft. Additionally, nuclear weapons may contain conventional high explosives and sophisticated electronics for arming and detonating the device.


The difference between a nuclear weapon detonation and a conventional explosion is?

A nuclear weapon detonation involves a chain reaction of nuclear fission or fusion reactions, releasing a vast amount of energy in the form of heat, light, and radiation. This results in a much larger explosion compared to conventional explosives, which rely on chemical reactions for energy release. The destructive power and long-term effects of a nuclear detonation can be far more significant than those of a conventional explosion.


What is the difference between a conventional bomb and an atomic bomb?

A conventional bomb relies on chemical reactions to create an explosion, while an atomic bomb (nuclear bomb) uses nuclear reactions to release an enormous amount of energy, resulting in a much more powerful explosion. Atomic bombs are capable of causing significantly more destruction compared to conventional bombs.

Related questions

Is fusion the difference between a nuclear weapon detonation and a conventional explosion?

Yes, the conventional explosives would trigger an explosion of the conventional explosives inside the nuclear bomb which would blow apart the nuclear components of the nuclear bomb, causing significant alpha emitter radiological contamination but no nuclear yield.


Is a dirty bomb a nuclear weapon?

No, a dirty bomb is a radiological weapon. It simply uses conventional explosives to scatter radioisotopes over an area.


What is the power of a nuclear weapon?

The weapons used in World War II had a power of 20,000 kilotons - that means they are equivalent to an explosion of 20,000 tons of conventional explosives (TNT is used for comparison). More recent nuclear weapons have a power measured in megatons (millions of tons of conventional explosives).


What is nuclear weapon?

An explosive device that uses massive conventional explosives to split radioactive atoms and cause a MASSIVE release of energy by nuclear fission or fusion. A BIG BOOM!!!!


Is an bomb or a nuclear weapon more powerful?

If by "bomb" you mean a conventional explosive weapon, then the nuclear weapon is more powerful.


What are the elements of nuke?

The elements of a nuke (nuclear weapon) typically include a fissile material like uranium or plutonium, conventional explosives to trigger the nuclear reaction, and a mechanism to control the detonation. Additionally, nukes may have various components such as a neutron initiator, tamper, and reflector to optimize the explosion.


What element is needed to make a nuclear weapon?

A nuclear weapon requires enriched uranium or plutonium as the fissile material to sustain a chain reaction and create a nuclear explosion. Additionally, a conventional chemical explosive is needed to trigger the nuclear reaction.


What is a precision nuclear weapon?

The term precision nuclear weapon may be a misnomer, but it is generally used to describe a low yield nuclear weapon (perhaps a few kilotons) that can be delivered with great accuracy on a specific target.The idea is to use this device, which is very small compared to an equivalent conventional weapon, in applications like busting deeply buried bunkers or other large below ground installations. Using a nuclear weapon in this type of application would gain a more assured result than the use of conventional explosives. The catch is that if you have this wonderfully effective weapon with all these superior characteristics, you may be tempted to use it.It may or may not be helpful to compare the precision nuclear weapon to what we call a tactical nuclear weapon. This nuclear device has a low yield (about a kiloton or so) that was designed to be delivered by conventional large-bore cannon or a small missile. The limited blast could be directed in a way that it could destroy something like a concentration of armored vehicles or troops that it would be difficult to do with conventional explosives. Consider that a small tactical nuclear weapon that could fit inside a 155 mm cannon shell would do damage that a thousand tons of TNT would be needed to accomplish.


Can nuclear weapon explode if nuclear tipped missile is intercepted in air by the anti ballistic missile?

No, a nuclear weapon will not explode if a nuclear-tipped missile is intercepted in the air by an anti-ballistic missile. The detonation process of a nuclear weapon requires specific conditions and triggers that are not present in a scenario where the missile is intercepted in the air.


What is inside of a nuke?

A nuclear weapon typically contains a fissile material such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239, high explosives to trigger the nuclear chain reaction, and various components to control the explosion and enhance the weapon's efficiency.


Could nuclear weapon be demolish without explode?

I'm not quite sure how to answer your question, it is a bit ambiguous:If your concern is disassembly of old or unwanted weapons, this is relatively easy, all they do is take them apart roughly the inverse of the way they were assembled. Nuclear weapons are not boobytrapped to prevent disassembly (although some missile warheads may be designed to self destruct with no nuclear yield by single point detonation of their conventional explosives if the PAL unit receives too many incorrect authorization codes).If your concern is safety in accidents, modern nuclear weapons can survive airplane crashes, accidental releases, falls, fires, and many other accidents intact. At the worst the conventional explosives could burn or explode, contaminating the area with alpha emitting material, but there will be no nuclear yield.If your concern is external conventional explosives being used to detonate a nuclear weapon, this is much like accidents, it might cause the conventional explosives to explode but there will be no nuclear yield.JUST CHIMING IN TO ADD: A nuclear bomb has to have exactly the right amount of regular explosives rigged and timed to go off just the right way in the exact correct position to make the fissionable material explode with a nuclear blast. If you abuse the bomb by smashing it, burning it and melting the insides, shooting it, blowing it up with explosives applied to the outside, you'll probably mess up the way the internal explosive charges are supposed to work. So you get a small conventional explosion that might blow up a house, but not a nuclear explosion that would blow up an entire city.


How dangerous nuclear weapon are?

About as dangerous as conventional weapons of the same yield, plus the radiation effects.