I was asked this yesterday (as I have a reasonable grasp of physics), but I was a bit stumped at trying to justify that an implosion can be dangerous, even equally to an explosion.
The case in point was concerning strip light bulbs.
My understanding is that an explosion is a release of energy - topically, this would throw glass shards and filament everywhere, irrespective of the gas and other material present in the bulb.
However, with an implosion, the idea is that the material is sucked inwards, however as this happens on the full area/length, this actually still throws material everything, just not directly outward - more chaotically as it will rebound off each other.
Is this a correct way of considering the situation, or is it actually the actual release of energy/pressure in such a situation?
So instead of being hit by a wave of energy pushing you away, you are instead impacted by a wave of energy pulling you in?
The case in point was concerning strip light bulbs.
My understanding is that an explosion is a release of energy - topically, this would throw glass shards and filament everywhere, irrespective of the gas and other material present in the bulb.
However, with an implosion, the idea is that the material is sucked inwards, however as this happens on the full area/length, this actually still throws material everything, just not directly outward - more chaotically as it will rebound off each other.
Is this a correct way of considering the situation, or is it actually the actual release of energy/pressure in such a situation?
So instead of being hit by a wave of energy pushing you away, you are instead impacted by a wave of energy pulling you in?