Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
For instance, Fat man had a blast yield of 21 kilotons of tnt (88 terajoules of energy) and little boy had a yield of 13-18 kt TNT (54-75 TJ). Modern nuclear weapons (using the B83 as an example) have blast yields of up to 1.2 Megatons (1,200 Kilotons) of TNT, equivalent to 5,000 terajoules of energy. There's a pretty big difference between the impact that one of these bombs would have if detonated compared to the long term effect of fat man + little boy on Japan.
|
You are referring to two different types of bombs. The first type of bomb you are referring to is an atomic bomb and relies solely on fission. The second type of bomb you are referring to is a thermonuclear bomb which utilizes both fusion and fission.
Also, 1954 was the first testing of a hydrogen bomb; i.e. a thermonuclear bomb. It released the equivalent (approximately) of 10 megatons of TNT. As such, the 1/5th of the earth claim is still far from accurate.