EXPLOSIVE DEVICES
Energy Output Comparison (Note: 1 ton = 1 “metric ton” = 1000 kg)
Explosion
Type
Joules per
kilogram (J/kg)
Joules per
ton (J/t)
TNT (trinitrotoluene)
4.2  106
4.2  109
e.g. 2.5 tons of TNT produces ______________ J of energy.
Dynamite
6.7  106
6.7  109
e.g. Six 200 gm sticks of dynamite produces _______________ J of
energy.
Nuclear Fission
(“Atom Bomb”)
(a) for max theoretical
yield-to-weight ratio
of 6 Mt TNT per ton
25.2  1012
25.2  1015
(b) for typical achieved
yield-to-weight ratio
of 3 Mt TNT per ton
12.6  1012
12.6  1015
(c) for Hiroshima bomb
with yield-to-weight
ratio of 4 kt TNT per ton
16.8  109
16.8  1012
e.g. Hiroshima bomb was equal to 15 kt TNT. It produced _____________
J of energy, and had a mass of about _______ kg.
e.g. The largest pure fission bomb possible would equal roughly 500 kt
TNT and produce about ______________ J of energy. At a typical
yield-to-weight ratio, its mass would be approximately ______ kg.
Explosion
Type
Joules per
kilogram (J/kg)
Joules per
ton (J/t)
Thermonuclear
Fission/Fusion
(Hydrogen Bomb)
for typical achieved
yield-to-weight ratio
of 3 Mt TNT per ton
12.6  1012
12.6  1015
e.g. There is no theoretical maximum yield for a hydrogen bomb. The
largest such bomb ever tested was equivalent to 50 Mt TNT, and
produced ___________________ J of energy.
Notes
1. Beyond the immediate destructive power of an atom (fission) bomb, a
great deal of toxic radioactive waste is left behind, which contaminates
both the immediate explosion site and (via airborne dust) the surrounding
region, and can produce cancers and genetic mutations for generations to
come.
2. A hydrogen bomb uses conventional explosives to detonate a small fission
bomb (called the primary), which then produces enough heat to initiate the
fusion reaction (called the secondary).
3. The fusion (secondary) portion of the hydrogen bomb generates enormous
heat and deadly cosmic radiation at the time of the explosion, but it is
“clean” in the sense that it leaves behind no radioactive waste afterward.
However, the fission (primary) component still means that some longlasting radioactive waste will remain. The amount of this waste will be
much less than for a pure fission bomb of equal yield, however.