answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

An atom does not "blow up" if you split it, but it will give off a tremendous amount of energy (in proportion to what is actually happening). If an atom was to "split" as asked, we'd consider it to have undergone nuclear fission. In fission, the atom "breaks" approximately in half, and the two "pieces" (which are called fission fragments) will recoil from the site of the event. In that light, an atom might be said to have "blown up" like it had been hit with something. In nuclear fuel, fission fragments recoil into the matrix in which they are being held, and this is expressed as heat. The recoil of the fragments accounts for a lot of the energy of the fission event. Note that in the fission talked about in many science classes, an atom of fissionable material is "hit" by a neutron and this causes a fission. This isn't quite accurate. The atomic nucleus must capture the neutron, and nuclear instability will result. Then the fission occurs. The atom is not "smashed" or "broken" by the "impact" of a neutron.

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 15y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

AnswerBot

βˆ™ 7mo ago

When an atom is split in half in a process called nuclear fission, a lot of energy is released in the form of heat and radiation. This energy is released because the total mass of the resulting fragments is less than the original atom, in accordance with Einstein's equation E=mc^2. The excess mass is converted into energy, causing an explosion.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why does an atom blow up if you split it in half?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Do atom bombs make a sound when they blow up?

no


The process in which each split atom gives up neutrons which in turn split other atoms is called?

The process in which each split atom gives up neutrons which in turn split other atoms is called a nuclear fission chain reaction.


Why can't you split an atom with a sharp object?

you can! it's actually quite useful if you want to blow up a person that get's on your nerves. just clap as hard as possible and BOOM! It's an explosion!


Why was spliting the atom nessersary for the Americains to make the bomb blow up in Hiroshima?

The atoms splitting is what causes the explosion, without the technology to cause atoms to split the bomb was just another pile of junk.


What is a neutron in an atom made up of?

A neutron can be split up into 2 down quarks and an up quark.


Process in which each split atom gives up neutrons which in turn split other atoms and so on is called a?

Nuclear chain reaction


What caused the roman empire to spread?

They split up into half & half from Venice to Florence to Tuscany to Rome.


How do you blow up a hot air bloon in just a half an hour?

By just blowin up anbloon


When did Dalton come up with the atom?

Dalton didn't discover the atom. Democritus did. Dalton, however was the first to use the word atom. which comes from the GGreek word atomos, meaning "cannot be split"


The process in which each split atom gives up neutrons which in turn split other atoms and so on is called an?

A nuclear chain reaction. This is what happens in a nuclear reactor.


What is The smallest particle of an element t?

The smallest particle of an element is an atom. Each atom is made up of a nucleus containing protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons.


What split up the Oregon Territory?

The US and the UK split Oregon Territory in half along the 49th parallel.