American Decades
H-Bomb
A Time of War.
The H-bomb, or hydrogen bomb, resulted from scientific research that developed from the atomic bomb, which was dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan to end World War II. The H-bomb technology follows from that required for the A-bomb, so H-bomb development did not begin in earnest until the 1950s.
Fission.
The A-bomb is based on nuclear fission. The nuclei of uranium atoms are bombarded with neutrons propelled from a magnetized coil. As a result, the uranium atoms are split (fission), releasing enormous amounts of energy. In addition, during the process neutrons are released, which can interact with even more uranium nuclei. The final product is a self-sustaining nuclear reaction that releases enormous amounts of energy. When this energy release is contained in a small area, it produces a bomb.
Fusion.
The H-bomb is based on nuclear fusion. Instead of splitting atoms, it combines...
[The entire page is 566 words long]
1950's Science and Technology
- Overview
-
Topics in the News
- Chromosome Number in Humans
- Communication
- The Computer Comes of Age
- Computer Predicts Election
- Computer Technology: Evolving Science
- Cyclotron/Bevatron
- DNA
- Dental Drills: High Speed and Painless (More or Less)
- Fossil Dating
- H-Bomb
- ICBM
- Jets
- Mapping the Ocean Floor
- Maser/Laser
- The Microwave Oven
- The New Frontier
- Nuclear Submarines
- Oral Contraceptives
- Radio Astronomy
- Radioimmunoassay
- The Saint Lawrence Seaway
- Sex Change
- Telephones in the Age of Technology
- Television
- Transatlantic Cable
- The Transistor
- Women in Science and Technology
- Headline Makers
- People in the News
- Awards
- Deaths
- Publications
- Important Events in Science and Technology, 1950–1959
