Oppenheimer Atomic bomb How it Works | First Nuclear Bomb
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the history and mechanics of the atomic bomb 'Little Boy,' dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. It explains the B-29 bomber Enola Gay's role, the design and components of the uranium-235 gun-type bomb, and how the nuclear fission process triggered a devastating explosion. Viewers are guided through step-by-step details of the bomb’s activation, including its impact zones and destructive power. Through detailed animations, the video also contrasts 'Little Boy' with 'Fat Man,' offering insight into both bombs used during WWII. A must-watch for those interested in engineering and history.
Takeaways
- 💣 The Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, dropped the 'Little Boy' atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
- ⚛️ Little Boy was a uranium-235, gun-type nuclear bomb, one of the first nuclear weapons tested on humans.
- 🔬 J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called the 'father of the atomic bomb,' later regretted his role and fought to eliminate nuclear weapons.
- 🧨 The bomb's mechanism involved launching a uranium projectile at 300 meters per second to create a nuclear explosion.
- ☢️ Nuclear fission is the process in which heavy atomic nuclei split into lighter nuclei, releasing vast amounts of energy.
- 🏗️ Little Boy was smaller and lighter than the 'Fat Man' plutonium bomb but still packed destructive power.
- ✈️ The B-29 Superfortress was used to carry the atomic bomb and was one of the most advanced bombers of World War II.
- 📏 The blast radius of Little Boy was divided into several zones, with total destruction occurring within 0.36 square kilometers and severe damage extending to 4.5 square kilometers.
- 🧪 The bomb's parts included uranium-235 rings, tungsten carbide discs, polonium initiators, and a 6.5-inch smoothbore gun barrel.
- 🌍 The bomb was designed for an airburst detonation at 580 meters above ground, ensuring maximum destruction through an altitude-sensitive barometric and radar altimeter system.
Q & A
What was the name of the plane that carried the atomic bomb 'Little Boy' to Hiroshima?
-The plane was a B-29 bomber named the 'Enola Gay.'
What type of nuclear bomb was 'Little Boy' and what was its composition?
-'Little Boy' was a uranium-235, gun-type nuclear bomb.
Who was J. Robert Oppenheimer and why is he significant to the development of nuclear weapons?
-J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called the 'father of the atomic bomb,' was a key scientist in the Manhattan Project. He later advocated for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
What were the two types of atomic bombs developed by the Manhattan Project?
-The Manhattan Project developed two bombs: 'Little Boy,' a uranium gun-type bomb, and 'Fat Man,' a plutonium implosion bomb.
What was the weight of the uranium used in 'Little Boy'?
-The uranium used in 'Little Boy' weighed around 65.5 kilograms (145.5 pounds), split between the hollow projectile rings and the target rings.
How did the barometric sensing ports in 'Little Boy' work?
-The barometric sensing ports measured the altitude to determine when the bomb was close enough to the ground to trigger the explosion.
What were the steps leading to the detonation of 'Little Boy' once it was dropped?
-The bomb switched to internal power, measured altitude using a barometer, activated radar altimeters, ignited gun primers, launched the uranium projectile, and initiated a nuclear chain reaction via polonium initiators.
What is nuclear fission, and how did it occur in 'Little Boy'?
-Nuclear fission occurs when heavy atomic nuclei split into smaller nuclei, releasing energy. In 'Little Boy,' the uranium nuclei underwent fission when struck by neutrons, causing a chain reaction and explosion.
What was the size of the destructive blast zones from 'Little Boy'?
-The central blast zone was 0.36 square kilometers, with severe damage up to 4.5 square kilometers and moderate damage extending to 8.7 square kilometers.
What was the primary role of the B-29 Superfortress, and why was it considered advanced for its time?
-The B-29 Superfortress was the heaviest production bomber of WWII, capable of carrying 20,000-pound bombs and featuring remote-controlled turrets for defense, making it one of the most advanced bombers of its era.
Outlines
💣 The Hiroshima Atomic Bomb: Little Boy
On August 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber named 'Enola Gay' left Tinian island for Hiroshima, Japan, carrying the uranium-235 bomb, 'Little Boy.' This was the first atomic bomb used in warfare, regretted even by scientists like J. Robert Oppenheimer, who helped develop it through the Manhattan Project but later opposed nuclear weapons. The bomb's uranium projectile, launched at 300 m/s, initiates nuclear fission, creating a massive explosion. The animation will explain the neutron fission process, blast radius zones, and provide a comparison of the destructive power between Little Boy and Fat Man, another bomb developed by the project.
🛫 The B-29 Superfortress and Bomb Delivery Mechanism
The B-29 Superfortress, one of the most fortified planes of its era, carried Little Boy. Equipped with twelve 50-caliber machine guns and remote-controlled turrets, the plane was designed for defense. The bomb deployment involved opening the Bombay doors and pulling arming plugs. The bomb’s fall activated a 24-volt battery and timers, leading to the deployment of barometric sensors and radar altimeters to ensure precise detonation. This complex step-by-step process ensured the bomb exploded at a specific height above ground, causing massive destruction through nuclear fission, impacting various zones as explained through animations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Enola Gay
💡Little Boy
💡Manhattan Project
💡Julius Robert Oppenheimer
💡Nuclear fission
💡Fat Man
💡Polonium initiators
💡Blast radius
💡B-29 Super Fortress
💡Uranium-235
Highlights
On August 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber, Enola Gay, left the island of Tinian for Hiroshima, Japan, carrying the uranium-235 bomb named Little Boy.
Little Boy was one of the first nuclear weapons used on mankind, and its development was later regretted by J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.
Julius Robert Oppenheimer, born on April 22, 1904, worked on the Manhattan Project and later fought to eliminate the production and development of nuclear weapons.
The uranium projectile in Little Boy was launched at 300 meters per second to initiate a chain reaction, leading to the nuclear explosion.
The Manhattan Project produced two types of atomic bombs: Little Boy (uranium-based) and Fat Man (plutonium-based).
Little Boy, measuring 3 meters long and 71 centimeters in diameter, weighed 4,400 kilograms and caused devastating destruction upon detonation.
The bomb's uranium-235 components included a hollow projectile ring weighing 38.4 kilograms and a uranium target ring weighing 25.6 kilograms.
The B-29 Super Fortress bomber, used to carry Little Boy, had a wingspan of 43 meters and could carry a 20,000-pound bomb load.
Before the bomb was dropped, three arming plugs were pulled by William Sterling Deke Parsons, starting the internal timer and battery system.
The bomb was designed to detonate at 580 meters above the ground to maximize destruction in an airburst.
Multiple radar altimeters and barometric sensors ensured the bomb detonated at the correct altitude for optimal destruction.
The firing mechanism ignited three Navy gun primers, launching the uranium projectile at high speed towards the target.
Polonium initiators triggered a nuclear chain reaction, leading to the fission process and subsequent explosion.
The explosion created a blast radius divided into zones: total destruction (0.36 km²), severe blast damage (4.5 km²), and moderate damage (8.7 km²).
The psychological and physical effects extended beyond the blast radius, affecting survivors with burns, radiation exposure, and trauma.
Transcripts
on August 6 1945 this American B-29
bomber four propeller plane named the
Enola Gay left the island of tinian for
Hiroshima Japan carrying the uranium-235
gun type bomb named little boy little
boy was one of the first nuclear weapons
tested on mankind
while the dangers in the engineering
behind it were even regretted by the
scientist Oppenheimer Julius Robert
Oppenheimer was born on April 22 1904.
he worked on the Manhattan Project and
was often coined as the father of the
atomic bomb
but the interesting part was later in
his life he fought to eliminate the
production and development of nuclear
weapons and died at the age of 62 1967.
this is how the uranium projectile is
launched at 300 meters per second to
initiate the four polonium for an extra
explosion placed on the tungsten carbide
we will also be looking at the nuclear
fission of the neutrons explained in
super simplified animations and not to
forget the different blast radius zones
of this first atomic bomb
so stay tuned and then don't miss a Beat
as we all know the Manhattan Project
produced two different types of atomic
nuclear weapons codenamed fat man and
little boy
this is the fat man atomic bomb is a
large heavy plutonium imploded using
shaped charges as shown in the
animations
while a little boy has a less heavy
uranium weapons triggered in a shotgun
or gun Tech Designs
the little boy has a length of 10 feet
or 3 meters with a diameter of 28 inches
71 centimeters
while the fat man has a length of 10
feet or 3.3 meters but a much larger
diameter of 60 inches or 1.5 meters
comparing this to a person will help you
understand its size
even better let's compare this to this
classic American SUV as you see both of
the nuclear weapons look small
considering the amount of destructive
power packed into it
this nuclear weapon weighs around
4898 kilograms or 10 800 pounds
while the low boy as the name suggests
weights just shy of 4 400 kilograms or
nine thousand seven hundred pounds
before we dive into how this works we
have to understand the parts of the
nuclear weapon starting from the back
these are the Box Tail Fins meant to
stabilize the bomb
when dropped from this B-29 super Fortis
bomber
these are the three electric gun primers
primer is the device responsible for
initiating the propellant combustion
located here also known as the chordate
or conventional charge that will push
this projectile at an explosive force
moving ahead this is the projectile
tungsten carbide disc
and the most important part is the
uranium-235 hollow projectile Rings it
weighs around 84 pounds or 38.4
kilograms
while the front is the uranium Target
rings that weigh around 56.2 pounds or
25.6 kilograms
that is around
145.5 pounds or 65.5 kilograms of
uranium
closely note as it is very important to
understand the projectile ring slugs are
hollowed and designed for the Target
rings to enter
all these mechanisms and parts are
encased in a 6.5 inch or 170 millimeter
Smooth Bore gun barrel
moving to the front this is the impact
absorbing Anvil just above it is the
tungsten carbide plug
these are the four polonium initiators
placed on the tungsten carbide they are
kept to make sure there will be a
nuclear chain reaction when it is
dropped and activated
moving to the top of the structure are
the arming infusing equipment let's move
outside this atomic bomb to understand
it better
these are the barometric sensing ports
and manifolds the barometer helps to
identify the altitude in which the bomb
is located so that it can activate this
Archy fusing radar altimeter which is
these curvy looking objects that
activates before reaching the ground
just above it is the electric plug and
some refer to this as the arming wires
all that destructive power requires a
platform to transport this nuclear
weapon the answers is this B-29 super
Fortress it was also the world's
heaviest production plane because of
increases in range bomb load and
defensive requirements Boeing built a
total of
2766 b-29s super Fortress planes and it
was the most advanced for propeller
driven bomber of the second World War
it has a length of 99 feet or 30.1
meters with a huge span of around 141
Feet 3 inches or 43 meters
interestingly the plane has a gross
weight of around 140 000 pounds or 63
502 kilograms and could carry a 20 000
pound bomb the Bombay door is located
just below the fuselage and it can open
them as shown in the animations
as stated this is one of the most
fortified plane in that era it can carry
around 12 50 caliber machine guns and
remote controlled turrets as shown in
the animation
two below the plane
four above the fuselage two remote
control turret one above and below near
the Tail
and the last two are located at the back
of the plane and that is one protected
gunship now that we've established the
B-29 super Fortress as a primary
transport let's take a look at how this
nuclear bomb Works in basic step-by-step
format
step number one before opening the
Bombay doors all three arming plugs are
pulled one after the other by the weapon
air William Sterling Deke Parsons
step number two
the doors open and the bomb Falls due to
gravity then it switches to its internal
24 volt battery and starts the timer
after 15 seconds the bomb would be
approximately 3 600 feet or one thousand
one hundred meters away from the
aircraft
step number three
the barometer senses the desired height
of around 580 meters or 1900 feet
as the little boy was designed to be an
air burst above the ground the membrane
closed his circuit activating the
multiple radar altimeters located at the
front of the bombs
the barometric stage was added because
of a worry that external radar signals
might detonate the weapon too early
step number four
to ensure accurate detection of final
altitude multiple radar altimeters were
utilized this process involves measuring
the altitude above the ground beneath
the aircraft or the little boy through
the timing of radio waves travel
reflection and return
once the correct height was sensed the
firing switch activates
step number five this ignites the three
Navy gun primers in the breech plug
step number six this sets off the charge
consisting of four silk powder bags each
containing two pounds or 0.9 kilograms
of cordite
step number seven the uranium projectile
will be launched at 300 meters per
second toward the opposite end of the
Gun Barrel
step number eight four polonium
initiators placed on the tungsten
carbide initiate the nuclear reactions
step number nine
this is where nuclear fission happens
the new Kyo certain heavy atoms split
into smaller lighter new kite releasing
excess energy in the process
let's dive a little bit deeper the
neutron strikes the nucleus and is
absorbed the absorbed Neutron causes the
nucleus to undergo deformation the
nucleus fission releases an average of
two or three neutrons thus creating a
chain reaction or in some words an
explosion
the blast radius can be divided into
several zones the central Blast Zone has
a diameter of 0.36 square kilometers
which is the extent of the firewall
radius this is the epicenter and
experienced almost total Destruction
severe blast damage Zone extends to
around 4.5 square kilometers this has
severe damage to buildings High
casualties and widespread destruction
and radiations modern blast zone is
about 8.7 square kilometers damage to
buildings and radiation burn is still
significant but less severe
light damage zone is beyond the blast
radius at 11 square kilometers here
there's fires radiation exposure and
psychological trauma-affected survivors
among the thousands
let's simplify this through these
animations once the correct height is
sensed the firing switch activates
the three Navy gun primers ignite the
charge consisting of four silk powder
bags each containing two pounds or 0.9
kilograms of cordite the uranium
projectile is launched at 300 meters per
second
at this point four polonium initiators
place on the tungsten carbide initiate
nuclear fission reactions in a
milliseconds there will be an explosion
damaging buildings and killing people by
the thousands
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