When you cut something, isn’t there a chance that you will cut an atom and there will be an explosion?
In: Physics
Even if you could split an atom this way, it would not cause an explosion. Only nuclei heavier than iron release energy when split, and the amount of energy released from splitting a single atom is minuscule.
To get an explosion you need a material that is fissile. An atom of fissile material will split when a neutron hits it, and release more neutrons in the process. If you have a large enough mass of material, you have a chain reaction where each atom that splits will cause more atoms to split, causing a very rapid release of energy.
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