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How many kilotons are modern nukes?
In modern nuclear arsenals, those devastating weapons are considered “low-yield.” Many of the modern nuclear weapons in Russian and U.S. nuclear weapons are thermonuclear weapons and have explosive yields of the equivalent at least 100 kilotons of dynamite – and some are much higher.
What is the yield of a current nuclear bomb?
For current smaller US weapons, yield is 600 to 2200 kilotons of TNT per metric ton. By comparison, for the very small tactical devices such as the Davy Crockett it was 0.4 to 40 kilotons of TNT per metric ton.
How strong is a 10 kiloton nuclear bomb?
For a 10 megaton blast, 1000 times as powerful, the severe damage would extend out about ten times as far, to 17.7 km. (Figures from Microsoft Encarta). A 10 kiloton blast would produce a fireball of about 300 m diameter and would cause moderate flash burns (second degree) at a range of about 2.4 km.
How much is a kiloton of TNT?
The amount of energy released by a nuclear explosion, generally measured in equivalent tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT). A kiloton is equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT; a megaton is equivalent to one million tons of TNT.
How are nuclear bombs measured?
A nuclear weapon’s explosive power is measured in yield, which is expressed in tons of TNT. Fission, or atomic bombs, can be as small as one kiloton (KT) of explosive power or as large as several hundred kilotons. They are expressed in millions of tons of TNT or megatons (MT).
What is the average size of a nuclear bomb?
Nuclear bombs have had yields between 10 tons TNT (the W54) and 50 megatons for the Tsar Bomba (see TNT equivalent). A thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than 2,400 pounds (1,100 kg) can release energy equal to more than 1.2 million tons of TNT (5.0 PJ).
How many kilotons are in a megaton?
1000
Megaton to Kiloton Conversion Table
| Megaton [Mton] | Kiloton [kton] |
|---|---|
| 1 Mton | 1000 kton |
| 2 Mton | 2000 kton |
| 3 Mton | 3000 kton |
| 5 Mton | 5000 kton |
How many nuclear bombs was Chernobyl equivalent to?
But he added, “Roughly speaking, the Chernobyl accident is estimated to have released an equivalent 30 to 40 times those the Hiroshima or Nagasaki A-bombs released.”
How many nuclear bombs was Chernobyl?
The total dose from Chernobyl is estimated at 80,000 man-sieverts, or roughly 1/6 as much. However, some individuals, particularly in areas adjacent the reactor, received significantly higher doses. Chernobyl’s radiation was detectable across Western Europe.
How big is a low-yield nuclear bomb?
While low-yield nuclear bombs can range from.1 kilotons to 10, 20, or 50 kilotons, according to Cirincione, the explosive yield from a low-yield nuclear weapon is equivalent to 1,000 MOABs. That is equivalent to the sizes of bombs dropped by the U.S. over Nagasaki and Hiroshima at the end of World War II.
What is the yield-to-weight ratio of nuclear weapons?
The yield-to-weight ratio is the amount of weapon yield compared to the mass of the weapon. According to nuclear-weapons designer Ted Taylor, the practical maximum yield-to-weight ratio for fusion weapons is about 6 megatons of TNT per metric ton (25 TJ/kg).
How many MOABs are in a 50 kiloton bomb?
While low-yield nuclear bombs can range from .1 kilotons to 10, 20, or 50 kilotons, according to Cirincione, the explosive yield from a low-yield nuclear weapon is equivalent to 1,000 MOABs. That is equivalent to the sizes of bombs dropped by the U.S. over Nagasaki and Hiroshima at the end of World War II.
What is the explosive yield of a conventional bomb?
For example, the explosive yield from a conventional bomb that is dropped by bombers would be about 500 pounds. The largest conventional weapon in the U.S. arsenal is the “Mother of all Bombs,” or MOAB.