Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site godot.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!mcnc!unc!godot!bourland
From: bourland@godot.UUCP (Dan Bourland)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: What's All This, Then (Workshop on Exploding Particle Accelerators)
Message-ID: <435@godot.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Feb-86 10:50:45 EST
Article-I.D.: godot.435
Posted: Fri Feb 14 10:50:45 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Feb-86 04:59:33 EST
References: <572@hounx.UUCP> <1987@orca.UUCP> <11827@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: bourland@godot.UUCP (Dan Bourland)
Organization: Radiation Oncology, NCMH/UNC, Chapel Hill
Lines: 17
Summary: 

It wasn't a joke that the atomic bomb yield was calculated.
People had all sorts of guesses.  It was Fermi that had a few
scraps of paper in his hand for his test.  As the pressure wave
went by, that is a wind from the explosion, he released the scraps
and did a BOTEC (Back Of The Envelope Calculation) based on the
distance the scraps travelled.  His calculation was pretty much
on the mark (I don't remember the accuracy).

Also, the fear was real, and theoretically investigated by Edward
Teller, that the bomb might ignite the atmosphere.  Teller's
calculations showed this effect would not happen.  I don't think
anyone was worried about the Universe going up in smoke.

Dan Bourland                 <decvax!mcnc!unc!godot!bourland>
Radiation Oncology
UNC School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514