Going Nuclear (small question)

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Though even a 20% error is likely within the range for these formulae of gaming convenience, as opposed to textbook physics calculations.

Speaking of gaming convenience, there's already a simplifying assumption that nuclear bombs do a burning explosion and a crushing explosion in atmosphere but in vacuum the crushing explosion just goes away and you use only the burning explosion number.

Obviously nothing just goes away and the energy that was making the concussive blast wave in atmosphere is doing something else in vacuum. However, this is a case where even somewhat greater accuracy would bring disproportionately greater complexity.

My advice is to take the simplified answer and run with it. You can easily get into complexities that will not repay the effort that would have to be put into them.