What is the principal behind atomic bombs, is there a way to split atoms withought explosion?
First you should understand that there is a maximum size above which an atomic nucleus is unstable. Uranium is over this limit. So, all uranium atoms are unstable. When the nucleus of one of these unstable uranium atoms is struck by a fast moving neutron, this added energy causes the nucleus to split into two separate nuclei. Thus what was one atom becomes two atoms. In the process of splitting a little bit of the mass of the atom is converted into energy and two or three neutrons are released. These neutrons can then strike other uranium atoms and the process is repeated. this is the basic principle behind nuclear fission. Second, yes, this process can occur without and explosion. As a matter of fact, it is rather difficult to get this process to proceed to an explosion. The problem is that it is really only one isotope of uranium (uranium 235) that is really useful for this reaction. Atoms of other elements and isotopes of uranium tend to simply absorb the neutrons without splitting.
