TNT scale

[garrowolf]

I just came up with an idea. I have a large scale system that goes from mice all the way up to gas giants. I decided to use the various levels of TNT to make sure that the scale system progresses correctly and I can use it for a real world reference.
Basically I am looking for a table that has different real world effects of different levels of TNT. I haven't found one yet myself and I was wondering if anyone else had found one. I found one for Nuclear levels but not the lower levels.
Anyone seen anything like this?

 

[Umbran]

Well, sort of, yes. When you walk into any restaurant, and on all food labels.

The TNT equivalent is actually just a measure of energy. The standard is that one gram of TNT releases 4184 Joules of energy. That is one kilocalorie.

And, one kilocalorie is one "dietary calorie". So, when you go into McDonalds, and see that a Big Mac has 467 calories, that's the same as saying it is the equivalent of 467 grams (or microtons) of TNT.

But really, the TNT equivalent is only useful for measuring explosions, and then is really for dramatic effect, rather than scientific accuracy. And there aren't many explosions in real-world effects on the human scale.

 

[garrowolf]

Okay so what about a chart in joules?

 

[Umbran]

A chart of what? Every single active thing in the universe has energy associated with it. There is no comprehensive chart listing them all.

Some assistance: Power is rated in Watts, which are Joules per second. A 100 Watt lightbulb emits 100 joules of energy each second.

If you want to talk about engines, one Horsepower is about 746 Watts. So, a pickup truck with a 300 Horsepower engine can put out about 234,000 Joules of work every second.

 

[garrowolf]

Some sort of chart that I can relate to damage/explosive power or something similar so that I can relate my scale chart to it. For instance a grenade having this much tnt equivalent explosives or this many joules, a missile with this many joules, etc. I've got the upper end of the scale with nuclear weapons. I just need the lower end.

 

[Umbran]

Well, at the lower end, you have the issue that damage to people is not directly related to explosive power - anti-personnel defensive hand grenades are as much or more about the shrapnel than they are the explosion.

The most common US hand grenade of WWII used about 2 ounces of TNT as its explosive. But others of the time used up to 8 ounces. There's quite a range. But even the 2 oz version would throw shrapnel farther than the soldier could throw the grenade - so while they may have changed the explosive material, I don't think there's been a major move to make them outright more powerful over time. There's not much point in a thrown weapon that kills the thrower.

Missiles? Not my specialty. Wikipedia may give you some ballpark figures.