nuclear bombs?

Question

Why do nuclear blasts cause electric failures? I've seen it in many movies and assume that it happens.

Answer 1

Nuclear blasts create an EMP - Electro Magnetic Pulse, which damages, destroys, or shuts down electrical equipment.

Wikipedia:
"The electromagnetic radiation from an explosion (especially a nuclear explosion) or an intensely fluctuating magnetic field caused by Compton-recoil electrons and photoelectrons from photons scattered in the materials of the electronic or explosive device or in a surrounding medium. The resulting electric and magnetic fields may couple with electrical/electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage surges"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse#Non-nuclear_electromagnetic_pulse

Answer 2

In a nuclear detonation, gamma rays are produced. These gamma rays interact with the surrounding air molecules by what is known as the "Compton effect" to produce electrons. In this effect, the gamma ray photons wreak havok for hundreds of miles, depending on the heighth of the air burst. This is what's known as the Electromagnetic Pulse or EMP.

Most nuclear attacks will be preceded by high airbursts to trigger the EMP which is intended to knock out all circuits/electronics that may be used to counter a detonation, such as missile interceptors or other interdiction strategies that might be deployed.

Your first inkling that WWIII has started is when your video game, tv or car suddenly stops for no reason...the EMP will be follwed within 5 - 10 minutes with a ground detonation...

Answer 3

Electro Magnetic Radiation[GAMMA RAYS] cause the Electric grid to act as the Antenna and many millions volt surge could be created for a short time which will burn or fail most of the electrical equipment and power lines.Same thing can happen when there are huge explosions in the SUN.
In one of the high altitude tests early !960's The power was out from Hawaii To Australia and Newzeland.

Answer 4

When a nuclear device is detonated above the atmosphere the energy is not confined and dispersed by the atmosphere resulting in a huge release of eletromagnetic energy called EMP. This pulse or shock wave moves out in all directions but is so powerful that it littlerally fries electronic devices on contact, even after travelling hundreds of miles through the atmosphere.

Answer 5

There is a very powerful magnetic pulse that literally smashes into electronic devices and ruins them so they cannot work. Anything that has a circuit board with electronic chips or memory cards will be affected. Cars, computers, cameras, anything with a digital screen, electronic keyboards and pianos (not the pianos with wires).

Sort like if you put a charge card too close to a demagnetizer at the library. ....

Answer 6

They cause Electro-Magnetic Pulses that will disrupt all communications and will kill everything in a certain radii
of the initial blast!!! a air burst is the worst.

Answer 7

they release an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse).

This pulse distorts and causes of failure of all electrical and electronic devices within the blast radius.

Answer 8

Electron waves from the generated power and static friction of outward force from an electron blast?

Answer 9

Because everything blows up and the power companies cannot function because all the wires are down.