3 ms·
In the case of a ultra-simple design available to terrorists that reaches critical mass by simply "dropping" one chunk of fissile material on another there is n
by Amadou 13y ago
In the case of a ultra-simple design available to terrorists that reaches critical mass by simply "dropping" one chunk of fissile material on another there is no explosion if it doesn't actually reach critical mass.
Israel is a nation-state with a lot more resources available to it like the ability to measure purity and to conduct simulations. In fact a key part of nuclear politics for the last 20 or so years has been super-computer based simulations in lieu of testing. In the US the programs have been responsible for the construction of some of the largest super-computers of their time(s).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Strategic_Computing_Initiative https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Strategic_Computin...
- jlgreco 13y agoI am of the opinion that "dropping" is an exaggeration of what a gun type uranium bomb entails. Less "drop" and more "shoot with conventional explosives down a big pipe we picked up from Home Depot." Simple either way should be the take away. The hard part is getting the uranium. That is really hard.
- justin66 13y ago> In the case of a ultra-simple design available to terrorists that reaches critical mass by simply "dropping" one chunk of fissile material on another there is no explosion if it doesn't actually reach critical mass. Actually, you can get a nuclear "fizzle" and if you had enough nuclear material to build a reasonable bomb that just didn't quite come off quite right, you will still get everyone's undivided attention: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fizzle_(nuclear_test) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fizzle_(nuclear_test)