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Whether lead could protect you from a nuclear blast or not depends on how far from the centre of the blast you are, how thick the lead is and how powerful the blast is.
Lead alone would only really protect you from the ionising radiation given off by the blast; provided that the lead is thick enough and that you were far enough away from the blast itself. If you were quite close to the blast then the explosion itself is the biggest danger to you as it is powerful enough to flatten buildings and reaches temperatures of tens of millions of degrees. A Hiroshima-sized blast would vapourise almost everything within at least a 1 mile radius and would make short work of lead (which has a boiling point of only 1749 degrees.)
Lead is only used to shield from ionising radiation because it is very dense and so a thinner layer of it can absorb the same amount of radiation as a much thicker layer of a less dense material. This means that, while lead alone would not make much difference close to the blast, if you were further away (preferably in a bunker) then the lead (if thick enough) would be useful to absorb most of the ionising radiation given off by the blast
A better solution for protection from radiation and the blast is earth and rock. However more radiation is absorbed by smaller thicknesses of denser materials so you would need much more material between you and the blast then if you used lead. However the larger thickness of material may protect you from the blast and thermal radiation effects.
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∙ 13y ago
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Is nuclear energy a blast of energy?
no
What is the blast radius of the largest nuclear weapon?
35km
What is the cause of immediate destruction of a nuclear explosion?
blast effects
What makes up the largest percentage of the energy released in a nuclear detonation?
Type your answer here... blast effect
What makes up the smallest amount of energy in a nuclear blast?
radiation effect
Did the tsunami trigger the nuclear blast?
Yes the tsunami did trigger the nuclear blast because the water got into the nuclear reactor and buggered it up
Is nuclear energy a blast of energy?
no
Was there a nuclear blast in the world?
yes, thousands
What are the HARMFULNESS caused by nuclear blast?
The blast effects (which is all the question as worded asks about) would be the same as the blast effects of a weight of TNT identical to the nuclear bomb's yield (by definition). However a nuclear bomb has additional effects that the TNT doesn't, but as this question only asked about blast effects, I won't visit them.
What makes up the largest percent of evergy relearsed in a nuclear dotonation?
Blast, always blast.
What makes up the largest percent of energy released in a nuclear detonation?
Correct answer is blast effect
What plants could survive a nuclear blast?
none
What is the blast radius of the largest nuclear weapon?
35km
What insects can survive a nuclear blast?
A direct nuclear blast - nothing. However it is said that cockroaches would possibly survive radiation where other animals would be killed.
What puts off the most effect of a nuclear detonation?
blast
What thing does Peter know can survive a nuclear blast?
Twinkies
What effects of nuclear explosions create a huge crater?
Blast
