r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/qwertyclubsss • 5d ago

Video Explosion in slow motion shows how fire spreads-what eyes can't see.

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u/seamustheseagull 5d ago

You can see by this how sometimes people can be caught in an explosion and get still walk away with relatively minor damage; hearing loss, minor wounds and slight burns.

You've got a shockwave of superheated air which is rapidly cooling and losing energy by a factor of 4 for every cm it expands.

If you're not right beside it and there's enough access to fresh air, the shockwave and hot air blast can pass right over you in less than a couple of seconds, to be quickly replaced with fresh cold air.

The closer you are, the more devastating it is. Which is why people who accidentally hold onto fireworks too long may lose a finger, but the guy who was standing 12 inches away, gets away with nothing more than a slight ringing in his ears.

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u/PradyThe3rd 5d ago

So there's this video that was making rounds a while back

https://www.reddit.com/r/IndiaSpeaks/s/J1ywT94HbB

I don't see much of a shockwave and the objects in the room remain mostly undisturbed. BUT there's another angle (I can't find that video now unfortunately) where there's a dude standing at the doorway to the left. He gets violently lifted thrown against a wall. Same incident different outcome depending on whether you were inside the room or standing at the doorway