Question

Hydrogen Bomb is based upon the principle of
1. Nuclear fusion
2. Nuclear  fission
3. Both of the above
4. None of the above

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : Nuclear fusion

The correct answer is Nuclear Fusion.

• Hydrogen Bomb
  • It contains a mixture of deuterium oxide and tritium oxide in a space surrounding an ordinary atom bomb.
  • The first step of the reaction is endothermic i.e. reaction between deuterium oxide and tritium oxide is initiated by the energy obtained from the explosion of the atom bomb.
  • The second step of the reaction is exothermic i.e. energy evolving.
• Nuclear Fusion
  • The process which involves the fusion of two or lighter nuclei to give heavier nuclei is called nuclear fusion.
  • It occurs only at extremely high temperatures (>10⁶K), so also called thermonuclear reactions.
  • It is used in a hydrogen bomb.
  • The energy of the sun and stars is also a result of a series of nuclear fusion reactions.

• Nuclear Fission
  • It is the phenomenon of artificial transmutation in which a heavy nucleus splits up into two or more lighter nuclei of nearly comparable mass with the release of a tremendous amount of energy.
  • It was discovered by two German scientists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in 1939.