Re: How big would it have to be?

mike3 <mike4ty4@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi.

Unusual question: Let's say you made a HYOOOGE sphere (hundreds,
thousands of meters across, maybe even more!) of solid iron (Don't ask
where to get it all from or where to get the energy needed to turn it
into the big ball, this is a hypothetical scenario). How big would it
have to be to withstand the detonation of a Hiroshima-sized atomic bomb
at it's center without breaking into at least two pieces (not counting
internal fracturing caused by the blast). Obviously, an Earth-sized
sphere could take it (if you blew up a nuke inside the center of the
Earth it probably wouldn't even make it burp). But how much *less* than
this can you go?

It is not at all obvious without doing the math that an Earth sized
sphere wouldn't shatter.

The big difference is the iron sphere would be a homogeneous solid
while the Earth is a loose (for the most part) aggragate.

A few inches of dirt will contain a cherry bomb (1).

The same cherry bomb will rip apart a 55 gallon steel drum full of
water if the cherry bomb is supended in the middle of it.

(1) A cherry bomb is a round firecracker about the size of a marble,
usually colored red, for those not familiar.

--
Jim Pennino

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