Is it true that the combined explosive power of all of the bombs and explosives used in every war in history [including Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs] would not equal the explosive power of the biggest H-bomb ever made?
My understanding is that 50Mtons is the most powerful yet built.
2007-04-13 07:53:37 · 6 answers · asked by Christopher L 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
To clarify, I mean comparing that 50 or 100 megaton bomb to all of the bombs that have been used in war. Not tested, but used as a weapon. Including Hiroshima but not the test over Siberia. Including conventional weapons dropped last week, but not including weapons that are in arsenals but never have been used.
2007-04-16 03:23:29 · update #1
50 megaton is the Tsar Bomba, largest ever detonated. With a better design, they could have gotten a better yield--perhaps as much as 200 megaton.
No, one of our Peacekeepers rachets up to 0.5 megatons, and we have more than 500 of them.
Add to what else we have, and what other nations have, and you go well over Tsar Bomba's theoretical maximum.
2007-04-13 08:18:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
in 1961 the russians detonated a nuclear bomb above nova zembla, it was 50 megatons. it was the largest bomb ever detonated. i seriously doubt it was the most powerful ever built.
now you must understand, that our knowledge, science, and military funding, has not stopped over the years since then.
a hydrogyn bomb however is mere chaotic fusion, nothing can increase the power of an h bomb, other than it having more hydrogin onboard, and more nuclear material, to get it all to fuse.
now look at the size of that 50 megaton bomb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tsarbomb.jpg
building a bigger bomb would just make it that much harder to drop it somewhere. besides, what would be the use, this bomb had an explosive size of 4.6 kilometers (thats just the fireball) its shockwave traveled around the world 3 times.
the destruction a bomb like this would bring is absolutely horrid.
in answer to your question, id say no, i think the biggest bomb around nowadays would be 60 megatons, 80 at the utmost. all the bombs, used EVER inclusing the tsar bomb, would simply be much much more. just look at the enschede disaster, and that was just 80tons of fireworks. everyear at newyears, a billion tons is shot in the air.
2007-04-13 08:12:13 · answer #2 · answered by mrzwink 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think that 50 megatons is the largest ever built. I'm pretty sure that 100 megaton bombs have actually been detonated in a test. But I could be wrong. 50 megatons = 50 million tons of TNT. That's a lot, but there have a lot of gun powder and bombs used over the years. You also have to bear in mind that ancient wars didn't use much explosives.
2007-04-13 08:06:04 · answer #3 · answered by Spider b 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh, there's always being something planned... I think I've heard of a 100 megaton, I'll edit if I find it. edit: Ah, the Tsar Bomb was originally intended to be 100 megatons, but transportation was too difficult.
2016-04-01 00:21:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's true. The Russians detonated a 58 megaton bomb, but there are few warheads over 1 megaton in use today. Most are 500 kilotons or smaller.
2007-04-13 13:22:57 · answer #5 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From wikipedia...it looks like the largest bomb ever tested is 50Mtons. The bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are in tens of KILOtons.
This is why I pray to God that none of these bombs are dropped on anyone ever again. It will most likely signal the beginning of the end.
2007-04-13 08:16:39 · answer #6 · answered by Doug 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋