Project Y

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/project-y

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the formal name?Los Alamos Laboratory
2. What is the project affiliation?Manhattan Project
3. Who led Project Y?The laboratory was directed by J. Robert Oppenheimer, with support from the University of California and the U.S. Army.
4. Why did Project Y switch from the Thin Man design to the Fat Man design?The team discovered that the plutonium used in Thin Man had too much plutonium‑240, which could cause the bomb to explode too early. They changed to the Fat Man implosion design to avoid this problem.

Fission Chain Reaction: A self-sustaining process where splitting atomic nuclei release neutrons that cause further fissions, releasing immense energy.
Spontaneous Fission: The natural radioactive decay process where an atomic nucleus splits without external influence.
Critical Mass: The minimum amount of fissile material needed to sustain a nuclear chain reaction.
Thermonuclear Weapon: A bomb that derives its explosive force from nuclear fusion reactions, often triggered by a fission device.