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A movie fireball is not a blast-pressure measurement

A bright movie fireball does not directly measure the pressure disturbance traveling through its surroundings. Framing, editing, and sound add further choices between the event and the viewer. Comparing visible brightness with blast-pressure measurements makes a bigger-looking explosion a 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?
  • How could camera settings and fuel composition change the apparent size of a filmed fireball?

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