Skip to main content

Featured

Why doesn’t a nuclear bomb create a chain reaction that destroys the entire planet?

  Because real life is not Hollywood plus 4 reasons. Fission vs. Fusion : Nuclear bombs work on the principle of nuclear fission – splitting heavy atoms like uranium or plutonium. This releases energy, sure, but to destroy the entire planet? Not enough oomph. What you'd need is a fusion reaction, the kind that fuels stars. That involves lighter atoms like hydrogen fusing, and it's way more powerful. Think of fission as a firecracker, fusion as the sun. We're nowhere near making a fusion bomb as big as our planet. The Limits of Chain Reactions : Even in a fission bomb, the chain reaction doesn't run wild forever. The explosion itself scatters the nuclear fuel, disrupting the critical mass needed to sustain the reaction. It's like trying to keep a bonfire going by throwing the logs across the field. Dissipation of Energy : The colossal energy released by a nuke mostly disperses as heat, light, and a shockwave. Earth is just way too big to absorb all that and go kabloo...

How did ancient civilizations determine the size of the world without modern technology like satellites?

 A stick. Someone heard that a stick cast no shadow on summer solstice (sun highest in the sky). You can also place a stick somewhere further north or south of this, if you know this distance and you measure the position of the shadow at the northern or southern site. You can use some basic trigonometry to determine the circumference of the world, which is what Eratosthenes did ca. 240 BCE.

Comments