What is Explosion: Definition and 274 Discussions

An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extremely vigorous outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known as detonations and travel via shock waves. Subsonic explosions are created by low explosives through a slower combustion process known as deflagration.

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  1. H

    Three particles break off after an explosion

    Homework Statement An object with total mass mtotal = 20 kg is sitting at rest when it explodes into three pieces. The first piece with mass m1 = 5 kg moves NW at an angle of θ1 = 20° above the –x axis with a speed of v1 = 30 m/s. A second piece with mass m2 = 4 kg moves SE at an angle of...
  2. T

    Projectile Motion: Solving for Explosion Co-ordinates

    Projectile motion...? Homework Statement An artillery shell is fired with an initial velocity of 300 m/s at 55 degrees above the horizontal. It explodes on mountainside 42 s after firing. If x is horizontal and y is vertical, find the (x,y) co-ordinates where shell explodes? Homework...
  3. P

    Does a nuclear explosion in outer space generate space waste at all?

    Since all the auxiliary parts of the bomb are instantly vaporized, there may be little solid waste left. However, if the vapor does not expand fast enough, or cools quickly, liquids and solids may nucleate again and cause a problem. Another point is that any waste exceeding the escape velocity...
  4. L

    Warning: Oxygen and Oil/Grease - Why Explosion?

    So, my welding book has this big ole warning that says this: If oxygen under pressure comes into contact with oil or grease. A violent reaction will occur. When they say "comes into contact" does this mean the outside of the O2 cylinder or just the actual pressurized O2? Second, Why...
  5. L

    Energy released in an explosion

    Hi All, I'm working on a problem about describing the energy released when a bomb explodes, assuming it releases energy, E, I'm trying to describe the rate at which the radius of the bomb blast wave is expanding. I'm having some difficulty conceiving where to start in connecting the energy...
  6. Simfish

    The coming data explosion and what this means for employable skills

    http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2010/05/31/31readwriteweb-the-coming-data-explosion-13154.html An interesting book: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/fourthparadigm/ So basically, the two main paradigms used to be experiment and theory. Then in the 1950s came...
  7. D

    Calculating Distance & Energy for Explosion to Moon

    ok just a couple of questions I have been thinking about.. this is not my area of expertise so help would be greatly appreciated Could anyone tell me how far away from Earth I would have to be before I could shoot a bullet from a gun that would hit the moon. Supposing the bullet could travel at...
  8. R

    Can a nuclear explosion be vectored?

    Is it possible to direct a nuclear explosion in a particular direction? The idea of a "Nuke Cannon" seems humorously over the top and impractical, but just for arguments sake, could it be done?
  9. M

    Explosion question (momentum)

    Homework Statement a bomb explodes into three pieces of equal mass. two pieces move off at 120 m/s at right angles to each other. how fast is the third mass moving? Homework Equations p = mv pi = pf The Attempt at a Solution I know how to do most of these questions, it's just...
  10. E

    Did Tsar bomba explosion seen in Finland ?

    Hello :) When I read about Tsar Bomba, I find that all sites say "The fireball touched the ground, reached nearly as high as the altitude of the release plane and was seen and felt almost 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from ground zero." Diameter of the fireball is 8 km. Now , there are some...
  11. C

    Can we see nuclear explosion from orbit?

    As topic says Can we see Nuclear Explosion form orbit altitued? or even form space? Just curious.
  12. M

    Correlation between Snowball Earth and Cambrian Explosion

    Correlation between "Snowball Earth" and Cambrian Explosion I know there is a theory that the Earth was once covered in ice that precisely pre-dates the cambrian explosion. is there a leading idea of how snowball Earth allowed for the blossoming of multicellular organisms? Did the ice sheets...
  13. Greg Bernhardt

    What Happened to the Virtual Worlds Explosion Analysts Predicted?

    A few years back, you couldn’t open any newspaper, magazine or law review journal without seeing yet another article about the crazy things that were going on in virtual worlds. *Today, not so much. *News of the*closure of Metaplace didn’t even make it very far beyond the usual VW blogs… *So...
  14. S

    Linear Momentum: Rocket Explosion

    Homework Statement A 975-kg two-stage rocket is traveling at a speed of 5.80 x 103 m/s with respect to Earth when a predesigned explosion separates the rocket into two sections of equal mass that then move with a relative speed (relative to each other) of 2.20 x 103 m/s along the original line...
  15. L

    How Far Does the Lighter Fragment Slide After an Explosion?

    Homework Statement An object at rest on a flat, horizontal surface explodes into two fragments, one seven times as massive as the other. the heavier fragment slides 8.2m before stopping. how far does the lighter fragment slide? Assume that both fragments have the same coefficient of kinetic...
  16. S

    Provincial Exam: Simple momentum explosion question

    Homework Statement A 1.0kg physics puck is at rest when a small explosion breaks it into three pieces. A 0.50 kg piece, goes north at 10 m/s, a .3 kg piece goes east at 20 m/s. What is the magnitude of the momentum of the third piece. Homework Equations p = mv Momentum Before =...
  17. M

    Coulomb's Explosion: Macroscopic Level?

    Hi, I was wondering about a query on Coulomb's Explosion? Can Coulomb's Explosion occur in macroscopic level? I mean for a large bodies that are visible by naked eyes?
  18. S

    Field Electron Emission: How Much Charge Can You Remove From a Sphere?

    If you have a sphere of metal electrically isolated by a vacuum, and continuously add negative charge to it, the metal will eventually discharge due to field electron emission. This depends primarily on the work function. Take the same situation as above, but continuously remove negative...
  19. T

    What Is the Explosion Radius in a Worst-Case LOX and LIN Scenario?

    OK all since I do not have a physics background I figured I would come to the WWW and search those who did. I am needing some questions answered... here is the badckground info...I work and a Cryogenic plant that has a max of 17000 gallons of Liquid Oxygen and 12000 of liquid nitriogen on hand...
  20. T

    Liquid oxygen explosion blast radius

    OK all since I do not have a physics background I figured I would come to the WWW and search those who did. I am needing some questions answered... here is the badckground info...I work and a Cryogenic plant that has a max of 17000 gallons of Liquid Oxygen and 12000 of liquid nitriogen on hand...
  21. A

    Why was the big bang not an explosion?

    Hi, Just a quick question. Does anyone know the original reason for discarding the idea of the big bang as an explosion?
  22. M

    Conservation of Momentum in a explosion

    Homework Statement A firecracker, initially at rest, explodes into two fragments. The first, of mass 14g, moves in the positive x direction at 48m/s. The second moves at 32m/s. Find the mass and direction of its motion. Homework Equations p=mv The Attempt at a Solution So I...
  23. R

    Calculating Relative Speed of Body Parts After Internal Explosion

    Homework Statement A body m1 + m2 is split into 2 part m1 and m2 by internal explosion which generate kinetic energy K. If they move in the same line after explosion, show the speed of one part relative to the other part is Square root of ( 2K(m1+m2)/m1m2) Homework Equations The...
  24. S

    Firework Explosion Homework: Determine Unknown Quantity

    Homework Statement During testing of a fireworks device an engineer records that data shown in the table below when the device, initially at rest, explodes under controlled conditions into three components that spread out horizontally. Determine the unknown quantity...
  25. Spinnor

    Nuclear explosion in space x-rays hit atmosphere.

    Suppose we set off a nuclear weapon 400 km above the surface of the Earth. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime When the x-rays hit the atmosphere what gets the greatest velocity boost, electrons or ions? Can we assume the averaged velocity of all boosted particles is in...
  26. I

    Conservation of Momentum in an Explosion Problem

    Homework Statement An object at rest explodes into three pieces. Two of them are equal in mass and break off at an angle of 85.3° to each other, both with a speed of 33.2 m/s. The last piece has 4 times as much mass as each of the other pieces. What is the magnitude of the velocity of the last...
  27. S

    What Would an Explosion in a Vacuum Look Like?

    I was wondering if anyone knew what an explosion would look like in a vacuum? Theoretically let's say if something blew up in space. I was just curious because Hollywood sometimes still makes it look like an explosion on Earth but it should not be, right?
  28. S

    2d explosion momemtum vector

    Homework Statement A 4.00-kg cannon ball is flying at 18.5 m/s [0º] when it explodes into two fragments. One 2.37-kg fragment (A) goes off at 19.7 m/s [325º]. What will be the velocity of the second fragment (B) immediately after the explosion? Assume that no mass is lost during the explosion...
  29. M

    Can nuclear weapons explosion produce neutrino pluse ?

    Can nuclear weapons explosion produce "neutrino pluse"? Can nuclear weapons explosion produce "neutrino pluse"?
  30. R

    Temperature related to yield or type of explosion? Nuclear vs conventional.

    Are the temperatures produced from a nuclear reaction special in anyway? If a 20 kiloton nuke is producing hundreds of thousands of degrees at it's center, would the same ballpark be true of 20,000 tons of TNT, which is roughly equal in yield?
  31. R

    How fast do I have to go to get away from an explosion in space

    I'm a science fiction writer, as yet unpublished. I really like to try to get as much of the science right as I can. I'm working on a story in which an asteroid hits a kilometer long spacecraft that is loaded up with 130 30m long 10m diameter tanks. They hold hydrogen and oxygen (in...
  32. EnumaElish

    Was the 1908 Siberia Explosion Caused by a Comet?

    This got me wondering: If vapor can travel down so fast, can it also travel up at the same speed? Can other gases or particles be injected into or dejected from the atmosphere at this speed?
  33. L

    How much energy is released in the explosion?

    Homework Statement A 20.0–kg particle is shot horizontally with an initial speed v0 = 10 m/s at a height of 100 m above the ground level (see figure). The particle explodes into identical fragments when its velocity makes an angle of 35° below the horizontal. Immediately after the...
  34. D

    Safety During Explosions: What to Do

    hey guys i need some help...why is it safer to be near a wall during an explosion?
  35. Artlav

    Explosion video phantom light?

    Frames from the latest MythBusters episode, an explosion where they fuse some plates together. You can see the phantom flash high above the explosion place. What is it? It appears to be in a right place for a lens flare, but doesn't look like one.
  36. C

    Kimberlite explosion in New York

    http://www.users.muohio.edu/rakovajf/WTTW%20Kimberlite.pdf"
  37. T

    Momentum Conservation => EXPLOSION

    A projectile of mass M is moving in the +x direction with speed V when it explodes into two fragments: a lighter one having mass M/4 and a heavier one having mass 3M/4. The heavier fragment moves in the -y direction with speed V. What is the speed of the lighter fragment? (Assume there are...
  38. S

    Fermi Telescope Spots Giant Explosion in Space

    Friday Febury 20th, 2009. NASA's Fermi telescope has spotted an massive and gigantic explosion in space which is detected to be roughly the largest gamma-ray burst ever. The blast put off three to five thousand billion times that of visible light. Scientists believe that the blast occurred...
  39. H

    Explosion of one mass into three

    Homework Statement A 4.2 kg object, initially at rest, "explodes" into 3 objects of equal mass. Two of these are determined to have velocities of equal magnitudes (5.0 m/s) with directions that differ by 90 degrees. How much kinetic energy was released in the explosion? (that is what is the...
  40. P

    Conservation of Linear Momentum and kinetic energy of explosion

    Homework Statement An object, with mass 71 kg and speed 23 m/s relative to an observer, explodes into two pieces, one 5 times as massive as the other; the explosion takes place in deep space. The less massive piece stops relative to the observer. How much kinetic energy is added to the system...
  41. M

    Acoustic pressure wave from a spherical explosion

    Homework Statement The acousitc wave from a sperical explosion is sometimes represented by a function: p = 0 for t < r/c p = B / r * exp [ - (t-r/c) / t0 ] for t > r/c (or equal) a) Does this represent a possible soltion for the wave equation? b) Find the corresponding velocity...
  42. S

    How Do You Calculate the Blast Radius of a Nuclear Explosion?

    My first post here, so Hello Everyone! I searched the forum for info but unfortunately I couldn't find it. I am in the middle of making nuclear explosion map (google maps based). Can anyone support me with equations for calculating approximate blast radius based on yield? I would like...
  43. D

    Cart Explosion- Is Energy conserved?

    So yes that's the question: In a cart explosions (where 2 carts with springs on the back are pushed together and let go) is the kinetic energy conserved? If not why? I can't find it in my textbook or on internet sites (things specifically related to cart explosions anyways) But attempting to...
  44. M

    Did You Miss the Stock Market Explosion?

    Have I missed the investment opportunity of years or what? http://money.cnn.com/data/dow30/
  45. C

    Solving Explosion Problem: Calculate Kinetic Energy of Horizontal Piece

    [b]1. A projectile of mass 50 kg moving horizontally at 100m/s explodes into three pieces. Two pieces fly off vertically while a third continues horizontally at 150m/s (neglect gravity). What is the kinetic energy of the horizontally moving piece? [b]2. Homework Equations...
  46. B

    A sonic boom sound vs explosion sound

    sonic boom?? A sonic boom sounds much like an explosion correct? Explain the similarity between the two??
  47. S

    How Does the Law of Conservation of Momentum Apply in a Firework Explosion?

    Homework Statement A giant "egg" explodes as part of a fireworks display. The egg is at rest before the explosion, and after the explosion, it breaks into two pieces, with the masses indicated in the diagram, traveling in opposite directions. Part A What is the momentum PA,i of piece A...
  48. T

    Calculating Eccentricity of Planet's Orbit After Star Explosion

    Homework Statement A planet is in a circular orbit about a star that explodes, shedding 2% of its mass in an expanding spherical shell. Find the eccentricity of the new orbit of the planet, which otherwise is not affected by the shell. Homework Equations \sqrt{1-\varepsilon^2} =...
  49. S

    Find Orig. Speed 3.0kg Mass After Frictionless Explosion

    Homework Statement A 3.0 kg mass sliding on a frictionless surface explodes into 3 1.0kg masses. After the explosion the velocities of the three masses are: (1) 9.0 m/s north, (2) 4.0 m/s 30 degrees south of west, and (3) 4.0 m/s south of east. What is the original spped of the 3.0 kg mass...
  50. P

    Conservation of Momentum for explosion

    Homework Statement A block moves at 5 m/s in the positive x direction and hits an identical block, initially at rest. A small amount of gunpowder had been placed on one of the blocks. The explosion does not harm the blocks but it doubles their total kinetic energy. After the explosion, the...
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