this post was submitted on 10 May 2026
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An "atom bomb" is not a standard unit of measurement. It's less than helpful.
Pffft. An 'atom bomb' as a unit of measurement is (roughly) equal to:
ff x (hdl/afps) x solh x ambWhere:
ff = football fields
hdl = hot dog lengths
afps = average Floridian pants size
solh = Statues of Liberty heights
amb = average medical bill.
Americans will do anything but use the metric system.
How many atom bombs less than helpful is it?
5
Americans will use anything but the metric system.
Yes but at that level of energy no unit is useful for the average person to comprehend. I somewhat understand the usage here. If it was in joules very few people would be able comprehend.
But then why pick 23, a number with two significant digits, to indicate scale? By this logic, 10 would be as effective at communication.
The 9 GW are already there if anyone needs a proper value, but without anything to compare it to, 9GW means nothing to most people. Hence the comparison.
9 is not the total energy. The article says the total thermal load is 16. 9 for the electrical usage and another 7-8 in the form of cooling. It also says that's the amount of 40,000 Walmart Supercenters...if you want another non standard American unit of measurement
If you want a standard unit of measurement, I trust you can re-read the title and find "9GW" in there. That is a proper standard unit, but to most people a number so mindbogglingly huge makes no sense at all, so they added a comparison to something people are more likely to being able to even roughly conceptualize.
That 9gw is not the whole amount. the total thermal load is 16GW.
Which according to the pdf is equal to 40,000 Walmart supercenters if someone needs a non standard, American unit of measurement...
Thats enough power to send Doc and Marty on 14 and half trips through time.
that's probably why they put an actual value in the title preceding it
Nuke bad. Propaganda