Question Video: Describing the Release of Radioactive Material in Nuclear Weapon Tests Science • Third Year of Preparatory School

Video Transcript

Which of the following most correctly describes the release of radioactive material in nuclear weapon tests? (A) Most of the radioactive material released travels around the world. (B) All of the radioactive material released does not travel very far from the test site. (C) Most of the radioactive material released does not travel very far from the test site, but some of it travels around the world.

The question asks what happens after a nuclear weapon’s test to the radioactive material that is released when the weapon explodes. During a nuclear weapon test, a cloud of radioactive material is released into the atmosphere. Most of this material is heavy enough that it will fall to Earth within a fairly small distance from where the weapon exploded.

However, a small amount of the radioactive material consists of very tiny pieces, like grains of dust. Very tiny pieces of radioactive material can be carried by wind currents. Wind currents can transport very tiny pieces of radioactive material over very great distances.

So, the correct answer is option (C), since a small part of the radioactive material is carried around Earth by wind currents. But most of the radioactive material falls to Earth, much nearer to where the weapon exploded.