Suppose you're in a house that's about to explode...

[bruto]

How about getting into the tub and pulling a mattress over the top?

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Let us suppose that the propane line that is busted open is in the kitchen and there is an already existing fire in the nearby living room. Now you can go to the back of the house where my previous scenario is setup but you can't leave the house because of armed gunman surrounding it. So the explosion, when it happens, will occur when the cloud of propane gas reaches the flames in the living room.

Given that, which would be better?

With the armed gunmen waiting outside, it sounds like you're dead no matter. If the house explodes and you survive (somehow), the gunmen will still get you, won't they?

Now, if you happen to be in the basement right next to that handy subterranean passage with bank-vault style bulkhead door. . . .

 

[Dorian Gray]

You just run outside and dive onto the ground. The house will explode harmlessly behind you. Everyone knows that.

Ha, just kidding. i know that's fiction. Actually, Lethal Weapon 2 proved that if there's an explosion, you get in the tub.

 

[Dilb]

Thinking about it, I was having a tough time imagining why an underwater explosion would hurt. Air can compress and expand, doing work against tissue, blowing it apart. In water though, it seems like the wave should mostly pass through without moving the person that much. People are most made of water, so we should be relatively transparent, except in the lungs where there's air.

Hunting around, I found this navy report, which from a quick browse says the same thing: pressure is much less dangerous underwater for solid tissue. Your organs shouldn't do any worse underwater. Lungs, intestines, and the areas around air-filled cavities in your head will not be so lucky, but they weren't all that well off anyway.

 

[R.Mackey]

I vote for water.

Speed of sound is higher in water than in air. The FAE will likely not be pure detonation anyway. You'll be dealing with a relatively gentle pressure rise, but even if there is one it will not couple efficiently to the water. Inside the tub you'll experience essentially a hydrostatic pressure increase, not a blast wave.

The primary danger will be fire, getting hit by debris as the house collapses, and getting hit by primary shrapnel, in that order. The water helps with all three. Mattresses probably help the last but do little about the other two.

Besides, my bathtub is cast iron. It can probably support the roof of my house.

That's my vote off the top of my head, anyway. Never tried it.

ETA: Happy birthday!

 

[Travis]

I vote for water.

Speed of sound is higher in water than in air. The FAE will likely not be pure detonation anyway. You'll be dealing with a relatively gentle pressure rise, but even if there is one it will not couple efficiently to the water. Inside the tub you'll experience essentially a hydrostatic pressure increase, not a blast wave.

The primary danger will be fire, getting hit by debris as the house collapses, and getting hit by primary shrapnel, in that order. The water helps with all three. Mattresses probably help the last but do little about the other two.

Besides, my bathtub is cast iron. It can probably support the roof of my house.

That's my vote off the top of my head, anyway. Never tried it.

ETA: Happy birthday!

Thanks.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

How about getting into the tub and pulling a mattress over the top?

Doesn't that belong in the sex thread?

 

[McHrozni]

If the gas/air mixture is really all over the house, it will also be in your lungs, do hold your breath to keep it from propagating into your lungs, as this has unpleasant side-effects.

He said it was propane, right?

It's not that unplesant, and also - legal
Some hallucinations aren't out of the question, and you could feel dizzy and so on, but this shouldn't be that much of a problem, unless you're giving a public speech shortly after - where your wet clothes will be more of a problem anyway.

McHrozni

 

[MRC_Hans]

He said it was propane, right?

It's not that unplesant, and also - legal
Some hallucinations aren't out of the question, and you could feel dizzy and so on, but this shouldn't be that much of a problem, unless you're giving a public speech shortly after - where your wet clothes will be more of a problem anyway.

McHrozni

I was talking about the side effects if the propane in your lungs take part in the explosion.

However, now that the scenario has been changed and gunmen added, the solution is clear:

You walk outside, with your hands over your head and scream "I surrender!", then drop on your belly, let the explosion take care of the gunmen, get up, brush the dust off your jacket, and walk away.

Hans

 

[McHrozni]

I was talking about the side effects if the propane in your lungs take part in the explosion.

If the explosion gets to your lungs, propane in them will be desirable - the death will be quicker and you'll suffer less.

McHrozni