01 Feb The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
@tsathescienceacademy The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima 💣 thescienceacademy learnontiktokcuriousmindseverydaydiscoveries hiroshima hiroshimabomb atomicbomb oncogenesis radiation explosion fyp foryou
♬ original sound – TSA The Science Academy – TSA The Science Academy
Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall
[Mr Teo] Hi guys, this is Mr Teo here and I am now in Hiroshima standing near the old Trade Centre which was near the hypocenter of the atomic bomb dropping on August 6 1945.
Somewhere above this building, an American bomber dropped the atomic weapon, and as you can see, the Japanese authorities have kept this building intact as a grim reminder of the horrors of Atomic Weaponry.
The atomic bomb had a payload equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. When it exploded, 3 things were released. The first was blinding heat in the form of electromagnetic waves. At the very centre of the blast, temperatures reached an estimated 100 million degrees Celsius, released mainly in the form of gamma and X-rays. This flash was incredibly intense, engulfing an area up to 1 km away. Exposed skin would have immediately suffered radiation burns, whilst dark clothing, absorbing more heat, probably ignited the clothing instantaneously.
Shadows Left Behind
Statues and buildings were not spared either as the gamma rays chemically reversed the oxidation in stone and concrete, bleaching any area the flash could reach, and leaving shadows in the areas it could not.
The eeriest effects of these can be seen in the atomic bomb shadows left behind by those in the path of the incident waves.
The second thing released from the explosion was the force of the blast itself. The intense pressure pushed air rapidly towards the ground.
Wooden buildings were flattened. And as a cruel extension of this disastrous scenario, the force reflected off the ground, pushing air upwards and causing a second round of destruction.
For the grim finale, the upward blast coupled with the hot air being less dense caused a partial vacuum. Cooler air from the surroundings rushed in and was pulled upwards, creating the distinctive mushroom shape we are familiar with.
Radioactive Fallout
This leads us to the third and final product of the blast. Radioactive particles from the nuclear fission reaction, releasing deadly alpha and beta radiation, were also drawn up into the stem of the mushroom into the head, high up into the sky. Carried by the wind, these particles were scattered over an area much larger than the blast impact zone and finally fell to the ground as an ash-like dust known as radioactive fallout.
Effects of Nuclear Radiation
Perhaps I’ll leave the explanation of the effects of nuclear radiation on living things to Mr Yu.
[Mr Yu] Hi everyone. Mr Nicholas Yu from TSA The Science Academy here. I’m filming this together with Mr Teo. We are at the bomb site of the first A-bomb in Hiroshima.
And he did mention with regards to the radioactive fallout. Now something you all want to take note of is that in the radioactive fallout, radiation cause tiny kinks in the DNA. So when the DNA were to break, alright, in some cases, this will cause the cell to give up on its survivability and cause it to go through what we call as a program cell death of apoptosis. But in cases where the cell decides to repair itself, usually this form of repairs is not very accurate and over a long period of time, all these little kinks would lead to the development of cancer, otherwise known as Oncogenesis. So in either way alright, if one would to survive the initial blast from the atomic bomb, there is a very high tendency that they will actually suffer the effect of radiation through causation like cancer.
[Mr Teo] Scientific progress is a powerful double-edged sword. While it has given birth to much of our modern conveniences, it has also brought forth devastating weaponry. As students and practitioners of science, we cannot neglect intention and consequence in our discoveries and inventions.
Curious minds, Everyday Discoveries.
How TSA can help you ace Science?
The Science Academy’s approach to Science tuition has helped countless students not only improve their performance but also strengthen their passion for the subject. With over 20 years of combined experience, our science tutors are committed to helping our students get the most out of their science education and instil a lifelong love of science.
Choose us as your education partner, a Ministry of Education registered tuition centre in Singapore, specialising in Science and Maths on your journey to master your sciences.
No Comments