{"product_id":"nuclear-weapons-isbn-9780262543316","title":"Nuclear Weapons","description":"\u003cb\u003eA primer on nuclear weapons, from the science of fission and fusion to the pursuit of mutual assured destruction, the SALT treaties, and the Bomb in pop culture.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough the world’s attention has shifted to drone-controlled bombing and cyberwarfare, the threat of nuclear war still exists. There are now fourteen thousand nuclear weapons \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003ein the hands of the nine declared nuclear powers. Even though the world survived the Cold War, we need to understand what it means to live with nuclear weapons. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Mark Wolverton offers a primer on nuclear weapons, from the science of fission and fusion to the pursuit of mutual assured destruction, the SALT and START agreements, and the Bomb in pop culture.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWolverton explains the basic scientific facts, offers historical perspective, and provides a nuanced view of the unique political, social, and moral dilemmas posed by nuclear weapons. He describes the birth of the Bomb in 1945 and its use against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; explains how a nuclear bomb works; recounts episodes when the world came close to waging nuclear war, including the Cuban missile crisis in 1962; discusses nuclear policy and nuclear treaties; and traces the influence of such films as \u003ci\u003eOn the Beach\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDr. Strangelove\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Day After\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e Series Foreword vii\u003cbr\u003ePreface ix\u003cbr\u003e1 Introduction: The Big Difference 1\u003cbr\u003e2 Dawn over Trinity: The Nuclear Age Begins 27\u003cbr\u003e3 Taming the Nuclear Genie: New Hopes and Threats 61\u003cbr\u003e4 The Brink: Close Calls and Nuclear Crises 89\u003cbr\u003e5 Brighter Than the Sun: What Nuclear Weapons Do 125\u003cbr\u003e6 Deterrence and Doomsday: Nuclear Theories and Treaties 145\u003cbr\u003e7 The Ends of the World: Nuclear Weapons and Popular Culture 177\u003cbr\u003e8 The Choice 211\u003cbr\u003eGlossary 237\u003cbr\u003eNotes 243\u003cbr\u003eFurther Reading 247\u003cbr\u003eIndex 253Mark Wolverton is a science writer and the author of \u003ci\u003eBurning the Sky: Operation Argus and the Untold Story of the Cold War Nuclear Tests in Outer Space\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Life in Twilight: The Final Years of J. Robert Oppenheimer\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Depths of Space: The Story of the Pioneer Planetary Probes\u003c\/i\u003e. His journalism has appeared in \u003ci\u003eWIRED\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUndark\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eScientific American\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAir \u0026amp; Space Smithsonian\u003c\/i\u003e, and other publications.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300628287717,"sku":"NP9780262543316","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262543316.jpg?v=1767733953","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/nuclear-weapons-isbn-9780262543316","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}