Why was the atomic bomb detonated 2000 ft above the ground?

Little Boy was a uranium bomb packed with about 110 pounds of fissile material. As it turned out, less than 2 pounds of that material actually underwent fission. The bomb never hit the ground, but exploded about 2,000 feet above the city – a height intended to cause maximum damage.

Why was the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima detonated before hitting the ground?

The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was probably designed to explode at the planned height through the use of radar. When they were developing the bomb, the U.S. had predicted that damage would result not only from the blast itself, but from the heat rays and radiation.

How high was the little boy when exploded?

The bomb was dropped at approximately 08:15 (JST) on 6 August 1945. After falling for 44.4 seconds, the time and barometric triggers started the firing mechanism. The detonation happened at an altitude of 1,968 ± 50 feet (600 ± 15 m).

Why did we drop the bomb on Maddox?

Truman’s decision to order the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan was based largely on the desire to end the war quickly with the fewest number of casualties possible.

What altitude did atomic bomb detonate?

approximately 500 metres
The bomb detonated at an altitude of approximately 500 metres and had a yield of 21 kilotons. Casualty estimates by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation for immediate deaths range from 60,000 to 80,000.

What altitude did Nagasaki detonated?

At 11:02 a.m., at an altitude of 1,650 feet, Fat Man (right) exploded over Nagasaki. The yield of the explosion was later estimated at 21 kilotons, 40 percent greater than that of the Hiroshima bomb.

How high was the Hiroshima bomb dropped from?

This gun-type uranium bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, weighed 9,700 pounds. The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM. A B-29 dropped the bomb from 31,000 feet. The bomb exploded about 1,500 feet above the city with a force of 15,000 tons of TNT.

What were the reasons for Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb quizlet?

He decided to drop the atomic bomb on Japan because he thought that the price of invading Japan and losing thousands of Americans lives was less than the cost of bombing Japan and destroying two cities. He wanted to save the lives of American soldiers.

Why are atomic bombs detonated in the air?

In nuclear warfare, air bursts are used against soft targets (i.e. lacking the hardened construction required to survive overpressure from a nuclear explosion) such as cities in countervalue targeting, or airfields, radar systems and mobile ICBMs in counterforce targeting.

Was Fat Man or Little Boy more powerful?

More videos on YouTube The Fat Man produced an explosion of about 21 kilotons. The B83? 1.2 megatons, equaling 1,200,000 tons of TNT, making it 80 times more powerful than the Little Boy. It gets even more terrifying than that.