The History and Science of the Atomic Bomb

The History and Science of the Atomic Bomb

By Jack King

History Connections

What is the “gadget”?

The “gadget” was the informal name for the first atomic bomb that was called the Trinity

The “gadget” or Trinity was an implosion-design Plutonium device

The detonation of the “gadget” was equal to the force of 20,000 tons of TNT

Where and when was it tested?

The test was conducted by the USA’s army on July 16, 1945

It was about 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, at the White Sands Proving Ground, which is now the White Sands Missile Range

This date is considered the beginning of the Atomic Age

Why was it referred to as the “fat man

type”? It was an implosion-type weapon with a

plutonium core It was very similar to the Trinity test bomb Robert Sober said he named after Sydney

Greenstreet’s character of “Kasper Gutman” in the movie The Maltese Falcon because they were both round and fat

Why was it tested in this location?

It was used there because it was an unused army base in the middle of the Mojave Desert

What were some of the fears of

detonating this bomb? They thought the world would look down on

the USA They thought it might catch the atmosphere

on fire They also thought it would blow up the

world

Science Connections

Who were the scientists involved with the Gadget?

Albert EinsteinEnrico FermiRichard FeynmanJ. Robert Openheimer Harold UreyNiels Bohr

What were the reactions of the

scientists? The biggest issue was making a bomb with

enough enriched Uranium to keep a chain reaction

How Did the Bomb Work?

The bomb works by creating a huge nuclear reaction, which gives off a huge amount of energy that is relative to explosions

What type of Radioactive Material was

involved? Uranium Plutonium

Was it Fusion Or Fission

This bomb was fission, because the atom splits into smaller parts when it explodes

Then it produces free Neutrons and Photons It also produces an Exothermic Reaction

The Sand Melting and Forming Glass

from the Test Explosion One of the products of the explosion was a

green glassy material formed by melting the surrounding area

This material is referred to as Trinitite because it was founded at the test site where the bomb Trinity was tested

THE END