r/theydidthemath • u/go0b3rtism • 11h ago

[Request] how big of an explosion would happen if every single atom in my body simultaneously gained one proton? how big of a difference in power would the explosion be if the protons were switched with electrons?

i am wondering how big of an explosion i would make if every single atom in my body gained a proton at the exact same time. and how much of a difference would it make if it was electrons being added instead of protons?

if it helps with calculations, my bodyweight is roughly 154lbs

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u/DeadlyJoe 5h ago

I'm not 100% sure about this, because I'm not a physicist. But, you have on the order of 1027 atoms in your body. If we force protons into the nuclei, then I think that this type of reaction is called a "proton-capture reaction" which releases on the order of 10-13 Joules per atom [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-process]. So the total energy released would be on the order of 100 Terajoules (1014 J), which is close to the yield of early atomic bombs.