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You are here: Home / Accomplishments / Why Is Uranium Used in Atomic Bombs?

Why Is Uranium Used in Atomic Bombs?

May 2, 2020 by Karen Hill

Uranium is used in atomic weapons and in nuclear power plants because it is a radioactive element. The atoms of a radioactive element break down over a period of time, losing particles from their nucleus and releasing energy.

Normally, this breakdown happens in only a few uranium atoms at a time. But in an atomic bomb, the atoms break down very quickly, releasing great amounts of energy all at once.

Uranium atoms break down inside an atomic bomb because they’re hit with nuclear particles called neutrons. When a neutron strikes the nucleus of an uranium atom, it causes the nucleus to split apart.

This releases energy and sends particles from the uranium atom crashing into other atoms, which then split, sending out more energy and particles, and so on. This process is called a
chain reaction.

Once the chain reaction inside the atomic bomb’s uranium begins, it keeps going until most of the atoms have been split. This happens in a fraction of a second, so that all the uranium’s energy is released at once.

The breakdown of the atoms in just one pound of uranium can produce energy equal to the burning of almost three million pounds of coal!

Related Facts

  • How did atomic physicists split the atom and When?
  • Where does Uranium Come from and How is Uranium Mined?
  • Who Discovered Isotopes and Why do some chemical elements have different atomic weights?
  • Who Discovered Nuclear Fission and How does splitting uranium atoms apart produce energy?
  • How did Marie Curie discover radium and Where did radium come from?
  • How Does Uranium Produce Energy and How Does Nuclear Fission Work?

Filed Under: Accomplishments

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Is Uranium Found in Nature?
Next Post: Is an A-Bomb the Same As an H-Bomb? »

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