What is a nuclear weapon?
Generally speaking, a nuclear weapon is any kind of weapon that derives its destructive power from a nuclear or fission/fusion reaction. Nuclear reactions (splitting of an atom and the effects thereof) create the potential for very destructive explosions that cannot be match by mere conventional (fuel derived) bombs or weapons. Since World War II, nuclear weapons are the most dangerous form of explosive weaponry found in the world. There are, loosely speaking, three types of nuclear weapons. The first is the classic atomic bomb model which is derived from a nuclear fission reaction. The first tested nuclear weapons and those used by the United States on Japan at the end of WWII are of the atomic model. The second type is the hydrogen bomb model, which is derived from a nuclear fusion reaction. Hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs, are much more powerful than atomic bombs and while many H-bombs have been tested none have ever been used in an actual combat situation. The third type of nuclear weap
