Nuclear reactions[edit] Nuclear fission separates or splits heavier atoms to form lighter atoms. Nuclear fusion combines lighter atoms to form heavier atoms. Both reactions generate roughly a million times more energy than comparable chemical reactions, making nuclear bombs a million times more powerful than non-nuclear bombs, which a French patent claimed in May 1939.[4] In some ways, fission and
![Nuclear weapon design - Wikipedia](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/e853b2da3ad26518561977dfd98dac02c086ec50/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F2%2F2d%2FThe_gadget_in_the_Trinity_Test_Site_tower_%25281945%2529.jpg%2F1200px-The_gadget_in_the_Trinity_Test_Site_tower_%25281945%2529.jpg)