Incidentally, when thinking of the yield of nuclear weapons, it’s helpful to
try to visualize the numbers. One kiloton, for example, means equivalent to
a thousand tons of high explosive. Since H.E. is very roughly the same
density as water, and a cubic foot of water weighs about 62 pounds, a
thousand tons of H.E. would fill 36,000 or so cubic feet–which is to say, a
cubic space about 33 feet on a side. That’s about the interior space of my
modest suburban house, if you include basement and attic. A houseful of
high explosive–quite a bang. And that’s one kiloton.