All Questions
Tagged with explosions newtonian-mechanics
34 questions
2
votes
5
answers
498
views
Motion of fragments
This is a general question regarding the motion of fragments of a single particle at rest, with no external force acting on it.
Say I have a (point like) body of mass $m$, situated at the origin of my ...
- 154
0
votes
1
answer
46
views
Why is velocity proportional to radius in a spherical explosion?
While doing problems on spherically symmetric explosions, I noticed I had been intuitively assuming that velocity scales linearly with radius of the "shell" under consideration. To be more ...
- 145
2
votes
1
answer
80
views
How can an explosion knock debris into orbit?
In Kurzgesagt's video on the Chicxulub impact, the narrator says that some of the debris from the impact was knocked into an orbit, where it would stay for thousands of years. According to this answer,...
- 1,435
1
vote
2
answers
338
views
Explosion of a projectile
The question is as follows:
A projectile is moving at 20 m/s at its highest point, where it breaks into equal parts due to an internal explosion. One part moves vertically up at 30 m/s with respect ...
- 13
2
votes
1
answer
260
views
Conservation of momentum and explosions
I am working on a problem involving a projectile launched at an angle from the ground at some initial velocity and then explodes into 3 parts after reaching its maximum height and they want us to find ...
- 51
0
votes
1
answer
58
views
Dust cloud expansion [closed]
Can someone tell how will the velocity vary in this spherically symmetric cloud with some intuitive reasoning, explanation of situation and mathematical calculations if possible? I was expecting it to ...
- 21
1
vote
0
answers
24
views
Orbital collisions? [duplicate]
Russia destroyed a satellite. TV news says the ISS will be at risk of the debris every ~90 minutes.
Seems to me that for the ISS to run into the debris, it must be going faster than the debris. But ...
- 369
3
votes
4
answers
991
views
Conservation of momentum despite having external force
Suppose a box of mass $m$ is thrown at angle $\theta$ with velocity $v$. At the topmost point,the box explodes into two identical smaller boxes. One of the boxes falls straight to the ground at that ...
- 1,197
0
votes
0
answers
44
views
Expanding matter from exploded asteroid
Suppose an asteroid explodes, into a spherically symmetrical cloud, of radius R, mass M, and surface receding velocity V (normal to the edge of the cloud), initially the density is radially uniform.
...
- 13
0
votes
1
answer
76
views
What caused the 3rd shock wave in this nuclear explosion?
In 1958, the United States conducted a series of nuclear tests at the Pacific Proving Grounds in the Marshall Islands as part of Operation Hardtrack. In some recently remastered footage of the Wahoo ...
- 111
0
votes
2
answers
110
views
Why does the momentum of the shrapnel of a resting bomb remain zero after the explosion?
The law of conservation of momentum says that the momentum sum of a closed system before an interaction of its objects remains the same after an interaction of its objects.
If an astronaut in space ...
- 171
21
votes
6
answers
3k
views
What causes the bucket to launch in the air?
In this video potassium is dropped into the bucket and it reacts with the water present in the bucket causing an explosion within the bucket itself.
I don't see how an internal explosion makes the ...
- 1,299
0
votes
3
answers
168
views
Is energy always a constant when the momentum is constant? [duplicate]
How is it that when momentum is constant, energy always stays a constant.
For Example :-
if $P = 0$ kinetic energy will also be 0.
But in a explosion (that momentum is conserved) where the object was ...
14
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Why did the apple explode when spun very fast?
This new video from the slow-mo guys captures the explosion of an apple when it is rotated really fast (roughly $109$ rotations per second).
But can someone explain me why did it explode? Can we ...
- 8,456
1
vote
1
answer
450
views
Speed of particles in an exploded asteroid
An asteroid of mass $M$ explodes into a spherical homogeneous cloud in free space. Due to energy received by the explosion the cloud expands and the expansion is spherically symmetric. At an instant ...
- 349
1
vote
1
answer
164
views
Physics of Project Orion
I was reading the book "Project Orion" by George Dyson. For those who are unaware, Project Orion was basically a plan to launch a spaceship by flinging bombs out the rear and detonating them. The ...
- 555
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How to calculate speed of shrapnel based on explosive's speed of detonation?
I'm trying to calculate the initial speed of shrapnel from a grenade.
Using the US's M67 hand grenade as a baseline/reference:
Total mass: 400g
Explosive's mass: 180g
Explosive's detonation speed: ...
- 103
2
votes
1
answer
92
views
How can I calculate the impulse caused by a nuclear bomb on structures?
I want to calculate the impulse caused by a nuclear bomb on structures. Is there a function that I can use to calculate the amount of impulse acted upon by a nuclear bomb depending on its size? Also, ...
- 21
-4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is kinetic energy of a system conserved during bomb explosion? [duplicate]
Conservation of momentum is a very obvious thing, but I can't figure out if kinetic energy would be conserved or not. You can think in two ways:
Initial kinetic energy is zero and final kinetic ...
- 57
1
vote
0
answers
31
views
If we let let explosives go off under one of the side of a skycraper, what will happen? [closed]
Imagine a skyscraper under which explosives are placed, but only beneath one of its sides. After detonation of the explosives, will the side under which the explosives were placed come crumbling down, ...
-2
votes
2
answers
662
views
Why do internal forces support conservation of momentum but not law of conservation of energy when a shell explodes?
When a shell explodes, we get several pieces with different kinetic energies but the momentum is conserved since no external force is acting. But the sum total of the kinetic energies of the pieces is ...
- 59
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
Why isn't there any impulse due to gravity?
Whenever we consider an explosion of a projectile in air, we solve for the velocities of the exploded elements by using the Law of Conservation of Momentum (ignoring any sound or light effect here). ...
user118752
1
vote
3
answers
353
views
Conservation of linear momentum after explosion with friction
Let's say you have a bomb at rest submerged in a liquid. It then explodes into two equal fragments A and B which leave in opposite directions.
If we ignore the fluid and any sound or light we can ...
- 185
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Applying conservation of liner momentum on a firework's explosion
A firework of mass 1 kg is placed on the ground and ignited. The impulse created by the explosion causes it to move vertically upwards with an initial velocity of 50 m/s. After 4 seconds a 2nd ...
2
votes
1
answer
114
views
Does energy of explosion channelise?
Whenever there is an explosion inside a barrel of a gun, the bullet shoots off with the energy of explosion. My question is:
Suppose $E$ amount of energy is liberated from explosion. Then, does the ...
- 343
1
vote
3
answers
11k
views
When a bomb explodes, does it momentum remain same?
If, from an aircraft, a bomb is thrown to an object placed at ground and bomb explodes before it hits the object, i.e if it explodes in the middle of its path, does it momentum remain same?
I knew ...
- 151
0
votes
0
answers
2k
views
How to measure the initial velocity of a potato gun?
I have made a 2m potato gun (It's like a cannon - the noise makes your ears buzz for some second :) ) Its uses alcohol as fuel. an igniter fires. then the potato will be shot out.
anyway. as it's ...
- 912
1
vote
0
answers
100
views
Does the force of releasing the latch of a spring-latch contraption affects the force generated by the spring?
There is this contraption in my class, where a rod is attached to a latch and a spring. By pulling the latch back behind a piece of metal, the latch is secured, the rod if pulled back and the spring ...
- 281
5
votes
3
answers
4k
views
What was the amount of energy released in the 9/11 terrorist attacks?
I read somewhere on the internet that the amount of energy released by the terrorist attacks on the twin towers on 9/11 should have been of the order of 100 tons of TNT. This number surprised me, ...
- 10k
0
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Center of mass after explosion [closed]
How he treated the center of mass as if it is still in the same place , is not it supposed to change after explosion ? and is not explosion destroying the closed system? i mean it represents and ...
- 359
3
votes
3
answers
719
views
Armageddon prevention
I was watching the movie Armageddon and it made me think of a few things. We would probably not need to send a crew to blow the asteroid in two, I think we could still send a warhead with enough power ...
- 213
0
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Determining the force of an explosion, is it external or internal?
A time bomb put inside a box is left into the vacuum: it explodes...the box coverings starts moving
I want to ask: is the force behind sudden acceleration internal or external
I am confused about ...
- 77
-1
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is a Space Shuttle launch as powerful as an "average" nuclear explosion? [closed]
First let's define what an "average" nuclear explosion is, because that's quite a controversial term - "average". Considering that the peak of nuclear tests was at the 1960s, and that the bulk of ...
- 117
-1
votes
1
answer
145
views
If An Object Explodes With A Force, What Force Are Fragments Given?
So let's say for example I have an object with 5kg of mass.
It explodes with a force of 500N.
The object fragments into four fragments: a 0.5kg, a 1kg, a 1.5kg and a 2kg object.
What force does ...
- 3