I still struggle to see how that sudden reaction can create so much pressure, a regular explosive is creating heavy byproducts and is expanding the gases already present in the explosive, but the sudden heating of a small uranium core and the air around it can create a bigger explosion than a bomb thousands of times heavier? Boggles my mind
Well that’s the thing, conventional explosions convert chemical bonds into energy. Chemical bonds are fairly weak in the grand scheme of things.
Nuclear weapons convert nuclear bonds into energy. Atoms really like staying the atoms they currently are, so forcing them to convert all at once releases a ton of energy.
Nukes are crazy.
The mushroom cloud is actually caused by all the dust and debris that gets sucked up into the actual explosion.
Nuclear reactions happen at near light speed, and the heat from them does propagate at light speed.
I still struggle to see how that sudden reaction can create so much pressure, a regular explosive is creating heavy byproducts and is expanding the gases already present in the explosive, but the sudden heating of a small uranium core and the air around it can create a bigger explosion than a bomb thousands of times heavier? Boggles my mind
energy=mass x the speed of light squared.
its like a spacetime sneeze.
Well that’s the thing, conventional explosions convert chemical bonds into energy. Chemical bonds are fairly weak in the grand scheme of things.
Nuclear weapons convert nuclear bonds into energy. Atoms really like staying the atoms they currently are, so forcing them to convert all at once releases a ton of energy.