Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site fisher.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!fisher!david From: david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Strategic Arms (reply to Tim Sevener) and Apologia Message-ID: <312@fisher.UUCP> Date: Tue, 18-Sep-84 10:15:08 EDT Article-I.D.: fisher.312 Posted: Tue Sep 18 10:15:08 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 25-Sep-84 03:18:28 EDT References: <204@tekigm.UUCP>, <1822@ucbvax.ARPA> <493@tty3b.UUCP> <1889@ucbvax.ARPA>, <222@whuxl.UUCP> <1983@randvax.UUCP> Organization: Princeton Univ. Statistics Lines: 15 A factual error was made in the referenced article, in which it was stated that six to twenty 40 kiloton bombs were necessary to destroy a large Soviet city. It takes six bombs, exploded on the same spot, to produce the same destruction as a single 250 kiloton weapon, which will level any city. However, one 40 kiloton bomb will end any city's economic and military usefullness. Two 40 kiloton bombs, placed at opposite ends of town, can do more damage than a single 250 kiloton bomb (though admittedly would not produce as much fallout). Finally, most medium and smaller cities could be eliminated with a single 40 kiloton warhead. Thus, it is apporpriate to divide the number of Poseiden warheads by two rather than six to twenty in calculating how many cities would be destroyed. David Rubin {allegra|astrovax|princeton}!fisher!david