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.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. A

    Energy released by spaceship explosion

    Homework Statement A 6.91x106 kg spherical spaceship in deep space explodes into two pieces, one 4.77 times the mass of the other. NOTE: the velocity needs magnitude and direction (given by the sign). a) Suppose the ship is initially at rest, and after the explosion the smaller piece is...
  2. A

    Momentum of an explosion problem. Desperately

    Homework Statement An object explodes into three equal masses. One mass moves east with a velocity of 15.0m/s. A second mass moves at a velocity of 10.0m/s at 40 degrees south of east. What is the velocity of the third mass? I desperately need help, i forgot my notes at school over the...
  3. A

    How is kinetic energy distributed in an explosion with unequal masses?

    Homework Statement An explosion breaks an object into two pieces, one of which has 1.5 times the mass of the other. If 7300 J were released in the explosion, how much kinetic energy did each piece acquire? Homework Equations Po = PThe Attempt at a Solution I don't even know how to start this...
  4. G

    Calculating Total Kinetic Energy After Explosion

    Homework Statement Find the total kinetic energy in the system. a explosion fires two pieces both 7.3m high and 11.2m horizontally total kinetic energy done by the explosion the first piece is 15kg, the second 26kg? Homework Equations kinematics Ke=1/2(mv2) The Attempt at a...
  5. K

    Calculating Neutrino Passage in a Supernova Explosion

    Ok, some of you guys will probably find this easy because I've only just started Physics to a very slightly higher level, but whatever. Basically the question is as follows (I'm just remembering this off the top of my head, won't use the proper figures, it's doing it that matters): A...
  6. G

    Calculating pressur produced by explosion

    Hello friends, Iam new to this site and I hope I didn't post this form in the wrong location. I would like to know how to calculate pressure produced by explosion? To make it clear, here is an example: A metal box with volume = 10cm^3. There is, let's say, gas fuel with know quantity...
  7. M

    Could a Cosmic Explosion Propel a Space Probe Beyond Our Solar System?

    Hey :D This is pretty far fetched but If scientists could predict a cosmic explosion or something similar in the universe... could we not have a space probe near the explosion (not too near obviously) and use the imense force the whip the probe out our solor system and behond?
  8. C

    Types of energy released in a nuclear explosion

    Hi all. I'm new to this forum, but I checked the FAQs and I think I'm in the right place to ask this: Is there just one type of energy that is released during a nuclear explosion? Please let me explain. I'm in a very complicated argument with someone, and the argument has come to this...
  9. marcus

    Xray flash warns of supernova explosion

    In a type 1b core-collapse supernova there is an initial Xray flash before the visible explosion. This was theorized to happen but nobody had seen it until this year. In January this year the Swift Xray satellite which can see Xray just happened to be looking in the right place (studying...
  10. P

    What's this filaments of a nuclear explosion?

    The filaments at the red pointer. Is that the result of shockwave? Thanks
  11. P

    Linear Momentum - One-Dimensional Internal Explosion

    [SOLVED] Linear Momentum - One-Dimensional Internal Explosion 1. A body is traveling at 2.0m/s along the positive direction of an x axis; no net force acts on the body. An internal explosion separates the body into two parts, each of 4.0 kg, and increases the total kinetic energy by 16 J. The...
  12. S

    Grade 12 Physics Bomb explosion

    Question: A bomb explodes and 3 pieces are flying in different directions. Piece 1 : weighs 2kg and is traveling at the North East direction Piece 2 : weighs 1kg and is traveling in the south direction ( exactly downards ) Piece 3 : weighs 3 kg and is traveling in the west direction (...
  13. T

    Modeling Time to Reach Specific Pressure in Adiabatic Tire Inflation

    Homework Statement Hi, I need a big help on how to carry on with this problem: You witnessed the failure of a nylon rim which exploded injuring the person filling the tire with air. Develop a documented mathematical model that predicts the time required to reach a specific pressure. Your...
  14. I

    Rocket Explosion: Min & Max Final Speed

    Homework Statement A rocket with a mass M moves along an x-axis at the constant speed vi=40 m/s. A small explosion separates the rocket into a rear section (of mass m1) and a front section; both sections move along the x axis. The relative speed between the rear and front sections is 20...
  15. S

    How Much Energy Was Released in the Fuel Tank Explosion?

    A fuel tank explodes, ripping the container into two pieces of masses 20kg and and 15kg sending them 6.6m and 7.30000019m high, respectively. What was the energy released by the explosion if all energy becomes the KE of the fragments? Shouldn't the sum of the PE of both fragments equal...
  16. S

    Three piece explosion question

    Question: If a container explodes and breaks into three fragments that fly off 120 degrees apart from each other, with mass ratios 1 : 4: 2. If the first piece flies off with a speed of 6m/s what is the speed of the other two fragments. (All fragments are in the plane.) I do not even know...
  17. jim mcnamara

    Can Tapping Reduce Soda Explosion Risk?

    Q: Does tapping on the top of sealed aluminum fizzy soda cans (like diet coke for example) reduce the probability of "explosive fizz out" - where soda fizz-out goes onto the floor, your socks, etc. Assuming that tapping the can top several times does have an effect (I do not know this to be...
  18. H

    What happens to the pressure and byproducts in a contained hydrogen explosion?

    This is an interesting thing to me, imagine a spherical container filled with a perfect hydrogen to oxygen fuel air mixture, there is an ignition source(such as a spark plug) in the container. So you light off the gasses, what happens to the pressure in the container? My resoning says obviously...
  19. 1

    How did the massive water line explosion occur?

    I saw this video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDfZdfeJ1nc&feature=related . Does anyone know how this happened? I read through some of the comments and no one seems to have a good explanation.
  20. wolram

    Alien star ship explosion

    http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2007/intergalatic_shot.html Solid proof that aliens are about, this must have been a warp core breach.
  21. J

    An atomic explosion - more energy out than in?

    A nuclear warhead for example doesn't seem to take a lot of energy to make, however it outputs massive amounts of energy in an instant. Why isn't this more energy out than in and why doesn't it break the law of conservation of energy? I think the answer is going to have something to do with...
  22. L

    What is the estimated radius of a bomb explosion with 400 lb of high explosives?

    Hi all, I'm working on a project for an Environmental Engineering class. I'm not a physicist... I need to estimate the radius of explosion of a bomb that contains about 400 lb (180kg) of high explosives. Any suggestions?
  23. L

    Why Does a Rocket's Momentum Remain Unchanged but Its Kinetic Energy Increases?

    hi guys!~ i was going through my test papers and found a question that i don't understand >_< when a rocket is shot upwards and at the point where it stops in the air, it explodes... so why does its momentum remain unchanged but the kinetic energy is increased?? ~by the way, the answer...
  24. J

    Explosion Q34 | Learn About Explosions

    "Explosion" (q34) I have not sure how to get started with this question: http://tinyurl.com/2ljrwk Hope that anybody can help.
  25. S

    Calculate Energy of Explosion: 16kg Asteroid & 180m/s Velocity

    Homework Statement A 16 kg asteroid is traveling through space with velocity v = 180 m/s when it breaks up into three equal pieces. One piece is left at rest, and a second one continues with the same velocity. What was the energy of the explosion (in Joules)? Homework Equations...
  26. O

    Solving Shell Explosion: Find v2 & v3, Sketch Velocities

    A shell traveling with velocity vo explodes into three pieces of equal masses. Just after the explosion, one piece has velocity v1=vo and the other two have velocities v2 and v3 that are equal in magnitude but mutually perpendicular. Find v2 and v3 and sketch their velocities. In starting...
  27. S

    Can an explosion outside an airtight tank affect the air pressure inside?

    Hi everyone! Here's something that has been bothering me for quite some time now: If you detonate an explosive device outside a completely airtight tank, what happens to the air pressure inside? Does the shockwave traveling through the wall of the tank have a notable effect on the pressure inside?
  28. S

    Explosion Physics Problem: Solving for Velocity and Direction of Third Piece

    Hey guys, just wanted to ask for help on this problem I'm having with this assignment. The questions is a ball explodes into three pieces. Two pieces of equal mass fly off to the south and west, perpendicular to each other at 20m/s. The third piece has twice the mass as the other two (same if...
  29. C

    How Do Sound Waves Travel Through Different Media?

    Homework Statement An explosion occurs at the end of a pier. The sound reaches the other end of the pier by traveling through three media: air, fresh water, and a slender metal handrail. The speeds of sound in air, water, and the handrail are 343, 1482, and 5040 m/s, respectively. The sound...
  30. E

    Energy released during explosion

    A projectile of mass 20.6 kg is fired at an angle of 59.0^\circ above the horizontal and with a speed of 76.0 m/s. At the highest point of its trajectory the projectile explodes into two fragments with equal mass, one of which falls vertically with zero initial speed. You can ignore air...
  31. russ_watters

    Astonishing Photo of Russian Rocket Booster Explosion!

    I know it isn't generally kosher to link other forums, but this is just too crazy to pass up. An astrophotographer in Perth happened to be out taking a wide-angle picture of just the right part of the sky when a Russian rocket booster exploded and fell to earth. The pic is a single 30 minute...
  32. J

    Will the Fireman See the Explosion of His Rocket?

    suppose an imaginary fireworker that launch a rocket at c/2 velocity, the rocket is programmed to explode at T seconds with a brilliant light the fireman has a powerful telescope that let's he follows the rocket path my question is :would he be able to see the explosion through the scope and...
  33. P

    Water bottle explosion with acid smell

    At the school where I teach, we recently had a recycling bin door blow off due to an explosion in a water bottle. Lots of heat was generated as evidenced by the melted, hard plastic and there was a sweet acidic smell to the liquid coating the inside of the bottle. The liquid had a pH of about...
  34. Orion1

    Underground nuclear explosion

    I thought this would be an interesting video for physics majors to watch: http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/28850/Underground_Nuclear_Explosions.html"
  35. E

    Explanations to Cambrian Explosion.

    Just curious on the most recent theories to explain Biology's Big Bang (and the evolution-haters weapon of choice).
  36. B

    How to calculate the size of an explosion?

    I'm studying a photo of a jet crash and it's subsequent cloud plume. I'm calculating that the cloud is 1000 meters wide and 7-800 meters tall, with the altitude of the cloud hitting maybe 900-1000 meters. Is there anyway to determine if this cloud is too big to have been made by a 757...
  37. Mk

    Methane clathrate explosion filmed and studied

    http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1482 http://www.bubbleology.com/seeps/Seep_Blowout.html is the video. Pretty cool eh?
  38. Pyrrhus

    Explosion at Diamond Mall Leaves One Dead

    Wow, one of the main malls in the capital of my country had an "accident". http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=14731" Most of the pictures are here http://www.clavedigital.com/afuera/Portadas/EDiamond/Galeria.htm"
  39. M

    Big Bang: EXPLOSION OF A SUPER MASSIVE B.H

    What do you think about it? Big Bang was the result of explosin of a super super masive Blackhole, details: According to one of the theories, this universe will end up with a black hole. So if we consider that, in the long future nothing would be left inside the universe other than the...
  40. Ivan Seeking

    What were you doing when you heard about the Challenger explosion?

    Twenty years ago... it's hard to believe. I clearly remember the moment that the news report was heard on the radio. I was working in the Cat Scan bone yard checking on equipment. When the report aired it was like the whole world changed; having been a huge shuttle fan since long before it...
  41. zoobyshoe

    Feynman And The Challenger Explosion

    The National Geographic Channel has started airing its docu/recreation of the Challenger disaster and the consequent investigation. I watched most of it tonight and was interested to see that they decided to make Feynman a major character in the show. That in contrast to another special about...
  42. Pengwuino

    Russia + nuke plant + explosion

    Yah those are the last 4 words you want to see in the same sentence! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10490469/ But it's ok, nothing bad happened... supposedly...
  43. A

    How can assumptions impact the calculation of projectile and explosion?

    I got the answer to the first part (35,374.04 m), but I'm having trouble with the second. At first, I thought 1,2,3,6 would be the answer, but that was wrong. Then, I said that 2,3,6 would be the answer, but that too was wrong. Now I am thinking that the energy wouldn't matter (momentum...
  44. Y

    Causes of Transformer Explosion in 152 Hectares University Campus

    hi pf folks.. currently i am the electrical engineer incharge in a 152 hectares university campus in our place. commonly our transformer are rated 7620/240 volts, 1p with capacity of 25 KVA, 50 KVA and 100 KVA.. for our three phase loads we used to bank 3- 1p transformer wye delta...all in...
  45. A

    Calculating Energy Released by Dynamite Explosion

    for the following question: dynamite liberates about 5.4*10^6 J/kg when it explodes. What fraction of its total energy content is this? my problem: the total energy formula=(gamma)mc^2 but the gamma factor has v, but the question doesn't have v... any suggestions?
  46. B

    Supernova explosion n angular momentum

    a planet moves around a star. (mass of planet << mass of star). the star undergoes a supernova explosion and loses 20% of its mass. the explosion does not directly affect the motion of the plant at that instant. how would this change the angular momentum of the planet ant the shape of its orbit...
  47. W

    Explosion Force: Wall vs Moveable Object

    If an explosion occurred inbetween a solid object (like a wall) and a moveable object (like a blue square on wheels... work with me here). Would the blue square move further than if the wall wasn't there? Diagram of sorts: http://www.thewexionweb.com/posts/bang1.png An explanation about...
  48. C

    Solving a Physics Shell Explosion Question

    Hey everyone! I'm a newbie here, how are you all today? Anywho, I was doing my physics homework and I came across this question, and I'm stuck :( Can anyone tell me just how to start it? A shell is shot with an initial velocity of 20 m/s, at an angle of 60 degrees with the horizontal. At the...
  49. S

    Why No Explosion? The Science Behind Temperature and Pressure in Tires

    It is scientific fact that that if all else is held constant, the pressure of a gas varies directly with its temperature. In other words, if you have a gas in a sealed, insulated, rigid container and you double its temperature, its pressure will also double. If you triple the temperature, the...
  50. H

    Projectile Explosion: Finding the Larger Mass's Landing Spot

    I have a problem where I am told a projectile explodes at a distance L (in the x direction) into 2 pieces of masses 1/4 and 3/4. The smaller mass lands back at the origin. Where does the larger mass land? I have tried CofM arguments but think I need to find the time it takes to reach the...
Back
Top