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Why is a bigger movie fireball a poor measure of a bigger blast?

A bright fireball tells you that a camera recorded luminous material. It does not directly measure the pressure disturbance traveling through the surroundings. Movie framing, editing, and sound add further choices between an event and what reaches the viewer. Comparing what is visible with what would need an instrument makes “bigger-looking explosion” a surprisingly slippery description.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • What measurement would you need to compare blast pressure rather than the size of the bright region in a shot?

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