One megaton is equivalent to 4. In evaluating the destructive power of a weapons system, it is customary to use the concept of equivalent megatons EMT. Equivalent megatonnage is defined as the actual megatonnage raised to the two-thirds power:. This relation arises from the fact that the destructive power of a bomb does not vary linearly with the yield.
The volume the weapon's energy spreads into varies as the cube of the distance, but the destroyed area varies at the square of the distance. Thus 1 bomb with a yield of 1 megaton would destroy 80 square miles. While 8 bombs, each with a yield of kilotons, would destroy square miles. This relationship is one reason for the development of delivery systems that could carry multiple warheads MIRVs.
The AsapSCIENCE video considers a 1 megaton bomb, which is 80 times larger than the bomb detonated over Hiroshima, but much smaller than many modern nuclear weapons more on that later. For a bomb that size, people up to 21 km 13 miles away would experience flash blindness on a clear day, and people up to 85 km Heat is an issue for those closer to the blast. Mild, first degree burns can occur up to 11 km 6.
Third degree burns that cover more than 24 percent of the body will likely be fatal if people don't receive medical care immediately. Those distances are variable, depending not just on the weather, but also on what you're wearing - white clothes can reflect some of the energy of a blast, while darker clothes will absorb it. That's unlikely to make much difference for those unfortunate enough to be at the centre of the explosion, though. The temperatures near the site of the bomb blast during the Hiroshima explosion were estimated to be , degrees Celsius , degrees Fahrenheit - which is times hotter than the temperature bodies are cremated at, so humans were almost instantly reduced to their most basic minerals.
The name of the bomb was Tsar Bomba. Comparative fireball radii for a selection of nuclear weapons. Generally, a bomb is calculated to burst at a certain height above the ground so that its destructive energy can travel as far as possible. To put it another way, a warhead must be detonated at a height which can facilitate the bomb to destroy buildings and man-made infrastructure but not the ground below, since it would be a total waste of energy.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. Aslam Hossain is a part-time senior editor of The Geopolitics. He is also an entrepreneur. His focus is on geopolitics and security.
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