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IT IS INTERESTING TO KNOW
Why Is Uranium Used in Atomic Bombs?
Uranium is used in atomic weapons and in nuclear power plants
because it is a radioactive element. The atoms of a radioactive element
break down over a period of time, losing particles from their nucleus and
releasing energy. Normally, this breakdown happens in only a few
uranium atoms at a time. But in an atomic bomb, the atoms break down
very quickly, releasing great amounts of energy all at once.

Uranium atoms break down inside an atomic bomb because
they’re hit with nuclear particles called neutrons. When a neutron strikes
the nucleus of an uranium atom, it causes the nucleus to split apart. This
releases energy and sends particles from the uranium atom crashing into
other atoms, which then split, sending out more energy and particles, and
so on. This process is called a chain reaction.
Once the chain reaction inside the atomic bomb's uranium begins,
it keeps going until most of the atoms have been split. This happens in a
fraction of a second, so that all the uranium's energy is released at once.

Amazing, isn't it...
The breakdown of the atoms
in just one pound of uranium
can produce energy equal to
the burning of almost three
million pounds of coal!

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