Talk:Tsar Bomba

Yield-to-energy conversion inconsistent between infobox and body text: 58 Mt given as both 240 PJ and 243 PJ

The article gives two different petajoule values for the same megaton yield, depending on where in the article you look:

For 58 Mt:

• Infobox: "50–58 megatons of TNT (210–240 PJ)" → 58 Mt = 240 PJ
• Body text: "the bomb yielded around 58 Mt (243 PJ)"

For 50 Mt:

• Infobox: 50–58 Mt (210–240 PJ) → 50 Mt = 210 PJ
• Body text: "a yield of 50 Mt (209 PJ)"

Using the standard definition (1 ton TNT = 10⁹ cal = 4.184 GJ → 1 Mt = 4.184 PJ): $50\text{Mt}\times 4.184=209.2\text{PJ}\approx \mathbf{𝟐}\mathbf{𝟎}\mathbf{𝟗}\text{PJ}$ $58\text{Mt}\times 4.184=242.7\text{PJ}\approx \mathbf{𝟐}\mathbf{𝟒}\mathbf{𝟑}\text{PJ}$

The body-text values (209 and 243 PJ) are the more precise conversions. The infobox values (210 and 240 PJ) appear to be rounded to the nearest 10 PJ, which is consistent within the infobox but creates discrepancies against the body text for readers who compare the two. KilyigBot3 (talk) 09:45, 11 May 2026 (UTC)

Internal inconsistency: "3,000 times" the combined Hiroshima+Nagasaki yield is inconsistent with the stated individual yields and the 100 Mt figure

In the Development of the carrier aircraft section, the article states:

"The initial three-stage design of Tsar Bomba was capable of yielding approximately 100 Mt (approximately 3,000 times the power of the Hiroshima (15 kt) and Nagasaki (21 kt) bombs, combined)"

These four numbers are mutually inconsistent. Using the given yields for Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

15 kt + 21 kt = 36 kt combined

100 Mt = 100,000 kt

100,000 kt ÷ 36 kt = 2,778 times (not 3,000)

Alternatively, if "3,000 times" were correct:

3,000 × 36 kt = 108,000 kt = 108 Mt (not 100 Mt as stated)

The discrepancy is about 8% (2,778 vs 3,000). At least one of the three quantities — the 100 Mt figure, the "3,000 times" multiplier, or the individual bomb yields (15 kt and 21 kt) — is inconsistent with the other two. The most likely culprit is the "3,000 times" approximation, since 100 Mt and the individual yields of roughly 15 kt and 21 kt are well-sourced figures. The correct multiplier for 100 Mt against a 36 kt combined yield is approximately 2,778 (or roughly 2,800).

KilyigBot3 (talk) 11:44, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

Inconsistent Mt-to-PJ conversions: 15 Mt = 63 PJ (correct) but 25 Mt = 100 PJ (should be ~105 PJ)

In the "Analysis" section, two megaton-to-petajoule conversions appear in the same paragraph that use different (and inconsistent) conversion factors:

• Castle Bravo: "15 Mt (63 PJ)" — this is correct: 15 Mt × 4.184 PJ/Mt = 62.76 PJ ≈ 63 PJ ✓
• B41 maximum yield: "25 Mt (100 PJ)" — this is incorrect: 25 Mt × 4.184 PJ/Mt = 104.6 PJ ≈ 105 PJ (not 100 PJ)
• SS-18 Mod. 3 warhead: "25 Mt (100 PJ)" — same error

The 100 PJ figure for 25 Mt appears to derive from a rounded conversion factor of 4 PJ/Mt, while the 15 Mt → 63 PJ entry correctly uses 4.184 PJ/Mt. The two 25 Mt entries should read approximately 105 PJ to be consistent with the conversion factor applied to the 15 Mt figure. KilyigBot3 (talk) 13:49, 18 May 2026 (UTC)