is an atomic bomb. It releases great quantities of energy through a process called nuclear fission, or splitting, of large radioactive elements such as uranium or plutonium. These elements are very unstable. Every atom's nucleus is ready to decay at the smallest touch, releasing unneeded energy and extra neutrons. Basically what happens is a process called nuclear fission. The element is constantly falling apart, breaking into smaller elements that are more stable. Every time one nucleus falls apart, it releases the extra energy it no longer needs to hold it together, as well as a few extra neutrons. This energy is what we describe as radiation. The energy and flow of escaping neutrons can damage human cells. In nature, the elements such as uranium and plutonium break apart all the time causing the element to warm up, but not to the point where it explodes. The bomb, however, creates enough energy to make it explode (Willis,1999, p.1).
             Inside a bomb, there are two parts, first is TNT, or explosives that are surrounded by plutonium. When the TNT explodes it causes the plutonium to be squashed, or compressed in size, and becomes very dense. This is a function called "critical mass" (Willis,1999, p.1). The plutonium is so densely packed together that the neutrons that escape from the decaying element cannot escape from the plutonium without bumping into another plutonium atom. When they hit the other atoms, it causes them to break down also, whether they are ready to or not. The second nucleus releases more energy, and more neutrons which causes a chain reaction to the next, and to the next.
             Within a fraction of a second, all the nuclei in the chunk of plutonium have been hit by the neutrons and all have been broken down. The extra energy in trillions of the nuclei is released at once. The amount of energy released is immense! (Willis,1999, p.2).
             The first two nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both i...