Sean Anthony Pulsifer
Mrs. Karen Yeager
Advanced Composition 12
3 December 1999
Nuclear Weapons: Scars on the Earth
Nuclear weapons have a long-lasting and devastating effect on the world for many years after an initial explosion. Fallout from United States atmospheric testing from 1945 to 1963 killed an estimated 70,000 to 800,000 people worldwide. People who have worked in the early nuclear weapons programs have been exposed to significant amounts of radiation (Schwartz 395).
When a nuclear weapon goes off, there are four basic types of explosions: air bursts, surface blast, subsurface burst, and high altitude burst.
An air burst occurs when a weapon is detonated at a height so the fireball does not reach the surface of the earth (Effects Nuclear Explosions). When the shock wave hits the ground, the first wave will "bounce" off to create a second wave. When the blast is higher off the ground, the initial shock wave will be weaker, but will effect a larger area......

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Title: Nuclear Weapons: Scars On The Earth
Approximate Word Count: 2457
Approximate Pages: 10 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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