"Richard" wrote in message
...
Like most of us (baby boomers) I grew up in a world that already had
nuclear weapons. We did "Duck and Cover" drills in school, and I
thought I had a fair notion about how these things worked.

But this photo (second one on this page) of the PU core of the
"Fat Man" implosion device - it's so small...fit's in your hand.




http://simplethinking.com/home/nuclear_weapons.htm

The majority of the energy release is nearly instantaneous, the mean time
from neutron release to fission can be of the order of 10 nanoseconds, and
the chain reaction builds exponentially. The result is that greater than
99% of the very considerable energy released in an atomic explosion is
generated in the last few (typically 4-5) generations of fission -- less
than a tenth of a microsecond.*

This tremendous energy release in a small space over fantastically short
periods of time creates some unusual phenomena -- physical conditions that
have no equal on earth, no matter how much TNT is stacked up.


A fascinating collection of high speed photos...

http://simplethinking.com/home/rapat...hotographs.htm

http://simplethinking.com/home/rapatronic_2.shtml

and the "rope tricks"...
http://simplethinking.com/home/rapatronic_3.shtml

Neat shots. I keep saying I am going to go to the Atomic Energy Museum in
Las Vegas, it's near one of my homes. I saw several of the above ground
tests as a kid in the 50s.

Steve