the.com/explosion
matter's loudest way of insisting it deserves more room than it was given
means A violent, sudden release of energy that bursts outward with force, noise, and usually a lot of destruction.
from From Latin 'explodere,' which literally meant to drive an actor off the stage by clapping and hooting — 'ex-' (out) plus 'plodere/plaudere' (to clap, the same root that gives us 'applaud'). For a long time an 'explosion' was a noisy rejection or hissing-off; only later did the sense slide toward the violent, bursting bang we mean today, as if the universe itself were booing something off the stage with overwhelming enthusiasm.
- speed
- detonation fronts can outrun sound several times over
- vacuum truth
- space blasts make no noise, just silent fury
- big bang
- the universe began as the original expansion, not bang
- chemistry
- most are just very impatient oxidation reactions
- sound delay
- flash arrives first, the boom shows up late
tsar bomba — soviet nuclear weapon detonated in 1961, most powerful explosion ever at 50 megatons
beirut port explosion — august 4, 2020 ammonium nitrate explosion in lebanon that killed 218 people
deepwater horizon — april 20, 2010 oil rig explosion in gulf of mexico that killed 11 workers
halifax explosion — december 6, 1917 munitions ship collision in nova scotia, killed approximately 2,000 people