What’s the difference between a nuclear reactor and a bomb?
Atoms capable of splitting are never close enough together in a nuclear reactor to release energy as quickly as in a nuclear bomb. Reactors use reactor-grade uranium, whereas bombs use weapons-grade uranium (info on this distinction). Additionally, bombs have chemical explosives designed to compress the weapons-grade uranium into itself. Under no known circumstances in our wildest dreams could a nuclear reactor explode like a nuclear weapon. Note: this doesn’t mean a reactor can’t physically have an out-of-control power increase resulting in major damage to the reactor building and releases of radiation, as happened in the Chernobyl accident. But this kind of excursion is honestly very nearly impossible in modern reactors. That’s another story.
