NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS

The explosive science behind the biggest human-made blasts on Earth 

- SCOTT DUTFIELD

Nuclear explosions are the biggest of the big, the most energetic and the cause of some of the most catastrophic calamities in recorded history. The incendiary force of nuclear technology is unrivalled by any other form of human-made explosive. Destructive methods such as trinitrotoluene, better known as TNT, create violent outbursts as a result of chemical reactions between combustible elements, such as carbon and oxygen. Nuclear explosions, on the other hand, occur at an atomic rather than a molecular level.

The term ‘nuclear’ refers to the nucleus, or centre, of an atom, which is made up of particles called protons and neutrons. Different elements have different atomic structures, with some having more or fewer particles in their nucleus. When the number of protons and neutrons in the atoms of an element are balanced, they are considered stable. However, for some elements, the nuclear weighing scales are unbalanced. As part of nature’s attempt to balance the scales, atoms of radioactive elements, such as uranium, expel extra protons and neutrons in a process known as radioactive decay. The rate at which an element sheds these particles is referred to as radioactivity.