Napkin math on the attack
Jon Carroll in today’s SF Chronicle: “It is easy to be tolerant and openhearted in the good times. Our commitment to the ideals of the Constitution is tested in the tough times. Freedom is freedom for all; that is why our nation is worth protecting. It’s not the purple mountain majesties; it’s the sanctuary promised at the entrance to New York Harbor. You are home now. Welcome. ”
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Email from Wired contributor Patrick Di Justo in New York …
From: Patrick Di Justo <justpat@well.com> Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 13:59:21 -0400 To: boutin@wiredmag.com Subject: facts and figures Bear with me — this is intended as nothing more than my geek way of coping. Plus the results are astounding. Energy content of jet fuel: 5.67M BTU per barrel Standard petroleum barrel : 42 US gallons 767 Fuel capacity : 23,980 US gallons 767 fuel use : 1,380 gallons/hr To convert BTU to calories, multiply by 251.996 Assume 22,050 gallons in the tanks when the plane hit the building. 22,050 gallons = 525 barrels 525 barrels * 5.67M = 2,976,750,000 BTU 2976750000 * 251.996 = 750,129,093,000 calories Energy content of fuel: 750,129,093,000 calories For two planes : 1,500,258,186,000 calories Kinetic Energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity ** 2 To convert joules to calories, multiply by .23901 767 empty weight : 82,737 kg Fuel Weight : 10,000 kg total : 92,737 kg Assume velocity at impact 400 mph = 645000 m/h = 179 m/s KE = .5 * 92737 * (179 ^2) = 1,485,693,109 joules KE = 355,095,510 calories Impact of two planes: 710,191,020 calories Potential Energy = mass * gravity * height 212,500 cubic yards of concrete per building 4,000 lbs per cubic yard 850,000,000 lbs concrete 200,000,000 lbs steel Estimated building weight: 1,000,000,000 lbs = 453,600,000 kg Height of building: 415 meters Estimated Potential Energy: 836,983,600,000 joules : 200,047,500,000 calories For two buildings : 400,085,000,000 calories I converted everything into calories for one very important reason. The official definition of a kiloton is 10E12 calories. Fuel content of planes : 1,500,000,000,000 calories Kinetic Energy of impacts : 710,000,000 calories Potential energy of buildings : 400,000,000,000 calories ————————— 1,900,710,000,000 calories Energy released in WTC event : 1.9 kilotons Energy released by building collapse, on Richter scale : 3.5 Hiroshima bomb : 13 kilotons