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it depends mainly on the amount or weight of the nuclear bomb.....that is ....the amount of radioactive uranium and plutonum inside it....diff weights have different blast radiuses.....the heavier the bomb the larger the explosion.

Actually it has nothing whatsoever to do with the weight of the bomb, It depends on:

  • yield
  • burst height/depth
  • weather (e.g. inversion layer above burst)
  • What level of overpressure you want to measure as the "blast radius"

The amount of uranium or plutonium in the bomb is usually an insignificant fraction of the weight of a nuclear bomb or warhead. Fatman had about 10 pounds of plutonium yet weighed 10,000 pounds. The remaining 9,990 pounds consisted mostly of depleted uranium, conventional explosives, electronics, and a steel ballistic casing!

One bomb can easily be much lighter than another and have a higher yield, if its materials usage is more efficient. This is a major goal of nuclear weapon designers.

The three usual overpressure zones nuclear weapons planners are concerned with are the 1000 psi zone (which is generally the requirement to knock out a hardened missile silo), the 20 psi zone (which destroys steel reinforced buildings), and the 5 psi zone (which destroys normal buildings). In particular, the 5 psi zone is used for casualty calculations, since the number of survivors of inside the 5 psi zone is roughly equivalent to the deaths outside that zone, for a typical area with an even population distribution.

For a 1 MT weapon detonated at the optimal distance from the ground to produce the maximum radius of the PSI zone in question, here are the appropriate distances from ground zero: 3.2 miles (5 psi), 1.4 miles (20 psi), 0.5 mile (1000 psi). The power of a nuclear weapon goes up with the cube root of the yield - so, if you want a weapon that has twice the area of effect, it needs to have 8 times the yield. So, a 1kT weapon has 0.1 of the area of effect of a 1MT weapon, while a 125kT weapon has 0.5 the area of effect compared to a 1 MT weapon.

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The blast radius of a nuclear explosion can vary depending on the size of the bomb, the height at which it is detonated, and the surrounding geography. For a typical nuclear weapon, the blast radius can extend for several kilometers, causing widespread destruction and fatalities. The effects of the blast can be even more devastating when combined with heat, radiation, and fallout.

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Q: Blast radius of a nuclear explosion?
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What is a Nuclear Bomb Explosion Radius?

The explosion radius of a nuclear bomb can vary depending on its size and design, but a typical range for a strategic nuclear weapon is a blast radius of several miles and a thermal radiation radius of several more miles. The effects of the blast, heat, and radiation can cause widespread destruction and casualties over a large area.


What was the Trinity nuclear blast radius?

The fireball was roughly 1500 feet in diameter (750 feet in radius).Blast damage was found at 10000 yards (30000 feet) to some of the bunkers.The blast was heard hundreds of miles away.


Are people vaporized in a nuclear explosion?

In a nuclear explosion, the intense heat and radiation can instantly vaporize the people closest to the blast site. The extreme temperatures and pressure generated by the explosion can cause flash vaporization of organic material within the blast radius.


Destructive radius of a five kiloton nuclear explosion?

The destructive radius of a five-kiloton nuclear explosion is typically around 500 to 700 meters, resulting in significant destruction of buildings and infrastructure in the immediate vicinity of the blast. This radius can vary depending on factors such as the height of the explosion, terrain, and weather conditions. However, it's important to note that the effects of a nuclear explosion extend far beyond the immediate blast radius due to factors like heat, radiation, and fallout.


What is the blast radius of a nuclear weapon?

The blast radius of a nuclear weapon can vary significantly depending on its yield. For example, a small tactical nuclear weapon may have a blast radius of a few hundred meters, while a larger strategic nuclear weapon could have a blast radius of several kilometers. The effects of a nuclear blast extend beyond the blast radius, with fallout and thermal radiation causing additional damage.

Related questions

What is a Nuclear Bomb Explosion Radius?

The explosion radius of a nuclear bomb can vary depending on its size and design, but a typical range for a strategic nuclear weapon is a blast radius of several miles and a thermal radiation radius of several more miles. The effects of the blast, heat, and radiation can cause widespread destruction and casualties over a large area.


What was the Trinity nuclear blast radius?

The fireball was roughly 1500 feet in diameter (750 feet in radius).Blast damage was found at 10000 yards (30000 feet) to some of the bunkers.The blast was heard hundreds of miles away.


Are people vaporized in a nuclear explosion?

In a nuclear explosion, the intense heat and radiation can instantly vaporize the people closest to the blast site. The extreme temperatures and pressure generated by the explosion can cause flash vaporization of organic material within the blast radius.


Destructive radius of a five kiloton nuclear explosion?

The destructive radius of a five-kiloton nuclear explosion is typically around 500 to 700 meters, resulting in significant destruction of buildings and infrastructure in the immediate vicinity of the blast. This radius can vary depending on factors such as the height of the explosion, terrain, and weather conditions. However, it's important to note that the effects of a nuclear explosion extend far beyond the immediate blast radius due to factors like heat, radiation, and fallout.


What is the blast radius of a nuclear weapon?

The blast radius of a nuclear weapon can vary significantly depending on its yield. For example, a small tactical nuclear weapon may have a blast radius of a few hundred meters, while a larger strategic nuclear weapon could have a blast radius of several kilometers. The effects of a nuclear blast extend beyond the blast radius, with fallout and thermal radiation causing additional damage.


If a nuclear weapon exploded on a nuclear Power Plant would the explosion radius increase?

No, a nuclear explosion on a nuclear power plant would not cause the explosion radius to increase. The explosion radius would be determined by the yield of the nuclear weapon itself, not by the presence of the power plant.


What is the blast radius of the largest nuclear weapon?

The largest nuclear weapon ever tested, the Tsar Bomba by the Soviet Union in 1961, had a blast radius of over 7 miles. The fireball created by the explosion measured around 2 miles in diameter and the shockwave was felt over 400 miles away.


What the effect of a nuclear explosion?

Radiation taints the ground, everyone in the blast radius of the initial explosion would be decimated. Look at Hiroshima, Japan, or Nagasaki, Japan (not sure on spelling), they were bombed by an atomic bomb, and still have radiation poisoned in the ground.


What is the blast radius for a nuclear bomb?

The blast radius of a nuclear bomb can vary depending on factors such as the type and yield of the bomb, as well as the environment in which it detonates. However, the blast radius of a typical nuclear bomb can extend for miles, causing significant destruction and casualties.


How big is a nuclear blast radius?

Little Boy was the nuclear bomb detonated over Hiroshima. It used uranium and had an explosive blast equivalent to 12,500 tons of TNT. A 1 megaton hydrogen bomb, hypothetically detonated on the earth's surface, has about 80 times the blast power of that 1945 explosion. Considering the tonnage of a bomb to be contant, The blast radius varies dependent on whether it is a ground burst or an airburst. Further, the height of the airburst above ground affects the radius too. At a height of 1900 feet above ground, Little Boy produced a blast radius of 1 mile; an area of some 4.7 square miles.


How much of an area can a nuclear explosion damage?

The area that a nuclear explosion can damage depends on the size of the bomb and the altitude at which it detonates. A large nuclear bomb detonated at ground level can create a blast radius of several miles, while detonating a smaller bomb at higher altitudes can generate an electromagnetic pulse that can affect a much larger area.


What does a atomic bomb do?

An atomic bomb is a powerful explosive weapon that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions. When detonated, it releases a massive amount of energy in the form of a nuclear explosion, causing widespread devastation and destruction in its blast radius.