Quick question about explosions and displacement

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    Displacement Explosions
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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the behavior of pressure waves and their interaction with different gases, particularly in the context of explosions. It is established that while pressure waves can cause temporary displacement of atoms, the movement of a cloud of gas in response to an explosion, such as a nuclear blast, is limited. The consensus is that a pressure wave can influence a cloud, but the extent of this movement is minimal, as the gases involved have similar densities. Observations from video clips of explosions support this conclusion.

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  • Basic knowledge of gas properties and behavior
  • Familiarity with nuclear explosion dynamics
  • Ability to analyze visual data from explosion footage
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DarkBabylon
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Understanding waves typically don't displace atoms but momentarily and then they move back into place, my intuition tells me that if a pressure wave on a certain gas meets a slightly different gas but with a similar density, the different gas wouldn't move dramatically due to the pressure wave.
Is this correct or am I missing something (except the obvious math) which will say otherwise?

Specifically, can an explosion, such as that from a nuke, move a cloud?
 
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Looking at the behavior of the smoke in the first few seconds of the following clip, I'd say "yes". Watch what happens when the blast wave hits them.



Edit: To clarify, I think the cloud would move some, but not much.
 

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