What causes a nuclear explosion?
Q: What causes a nuclear explosion?
A: A nuclear explosion is caused by nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or both, which results in energy being released from a very fast nuclear reaction.
Q: What is a mushroom cloud?
A: A mushroom cloud is a cloud-like formation that can occur as a result of a large chemical or nuclear explosion. Atmospheric nuclear explosions are commonly associated with mushroom clouds.
Q: Can an air-burst nuclear explosion occur without a mushroom cloud?
A: Yes, it is possible to have an air-burst nuclear explosion without a mushroom cloud.
Q: What does a nuclear explosion produce?
A: Nuclear explosions produce radiation and radioactive debris.
Q: When was the first nuclear weapon detonated in combat and where?
A: The first nuclear weapon was detonated in combat on 6 August 1945, when the United States dropped a uranium gun-type device on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Q: What was the second and last use of a nuclear weapon in combat?
A: The second and last use of a nuclear weapon in combat occurred three days later when United States dropped a plutonium implosion-type device on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
Q: Were the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima caused by nuclear explosions?
A: No, the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima were caused by steam and hydrogen explosions, not nuclear explosions. The fuel in a nuclear power plant is not enriched enough to create a nuclear explosion.
