Atomic Bomb -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Physics

A bomb of extreme destructive power fueled by the fission of uranium or plutonium. An atomic bomb is also known as an A-bomb, atom bomb, or nuclear bomb. Only two atomic bombs ever been used in war; both were dropped on Japanese cities at the close of World War II by American planes. The "little boy" bomb used TNT charges to blow two subcritical masses of

together. It was used against Hiroshima and had a yield of 10 kilotons. The "fat man" bomb was a ball of

crushed together by TNT. It was used against Nagasaki and had a yield of 20 kilotons.

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