MadSci Network: Physics |
>Why does a person fly back when a bomb explodes if
>waves don't carry matter?
Waves don't carry matter, but they do carry energy, which can be expressed in the movement of matter. Think of yourself on a boat. When the waves go by underneath, their energy lifts you up and lets you down.
In an explosion in the air, the pressure waves are a motion of the air. If this motion is enough, it can transfer to a person's body and send them flying.
-Greg Billock
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