What is the term for the weapon dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

What is the term for the weapon dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

• A. Hydrogen Bomb
• B. Atomic Bomb
• C. Nuclear Bomb
• D. Grenade

Answer: (B)

The term atomic bomb fits because these bombs used nuclear fission to release energy—splitting heavy atomic nuclei in a controlled chain reaction. They were the first nuclear weapons ever used in war, dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The common shorthand for this type of device reflects the fission process, and those specific weapons are often called atomic bombs (e.g., Little Boy and Fat Man). Hydrogen bombs, by contrast, rely on fusion and were developed later, making them far more powerful. A nuclear bomb is a broad label that could refer to either fission or fusion devices, but the historical and precise term for the ones used in those bombings is atomic bomb. A grenade is a small conventional explosive and not a nuclear weapon.

The term atomic bomb fits because these bombs used nuclear fission to release energy—splitting heavy atomic nuclei in a controlled chain reaction. They were the first nuclear weapons ever used in war, dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The common shorthand for this type of device reflects the fission process, and those specific weapons are often called atomic bombs (e.g., Little Boy and Fat Man).

Hydrogen bombs, by contrast, rely on fusion and were developed later, making them far more powerful. A nuclear bomb is a broad label that could refer to either fission or fusion devices, but the historical and precise term for the ones used in those bombings is atomic bomb. A grenade is a small conventional explosive and not a nuclear weapon.