A news story about IEDs in Iraq said all an insurgent needs to do is open or close a circuit to detonate a bomb. My brother says their right; I say that only CLOSING a circuit would do it. Opening a circuit seems ridiculous, you have to close it to send the electricity to detonate something. Who is right?
2007-04-22 10:06:52 · 4 answers · asked by lovesassflake 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
Haven't you seen the movies where the guy cuts the wrong wire?..
Some IEDs have a latching device so that the loss of potential (opening the circuit, cutting a wire, etc) triggers the detonator.
2007-04-22 12:50:32 · answer #1 · answered by Thomas C 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are more correct. the circuit must close to send the charge to detonate the bomb. A bomb that is detonated by opening a circuit does so by internally closing the detonation circuit electronically. So, it is true that the terrorist may throw a switch that opens a circuit but, the bomb explodes when the current passes to the bomb through a closed circuit.
2007-04-30 07:03:49 · answer #2 · answered by terterryterter 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A bomb can be designed so that opening a circuit can detonate it - closing the circuit maintains the off button, opening the circuit frees it to detonate. Not hard to do, and keeps the bomb defusing guys on their toes.
2007-04-22 17:10:53 · answer #3 · answered by Uncle John 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think what you are missing is that a bomb that explodes when a circuit opens has to have a battery (or other power source) already.
So it explodes when the circuit opens (or it runs out of batteries).
These are more expensive to make, so most wouldn't go that route.
2007-04-29 13:14:23 · answer #4 · answered by ZeroCarbonImpact 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋