Uploaded December 2018 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
Why do some things explode and some things only burn? Why do some things do neither? As it turns out, the answer has multiple parts. The first has to do with stored, or potential, energy which can be converted to other forms of energy like kinetic energy, light, heat and sound. To release this energy, chemicals have to be supplied with a certain amount of activation energy. This activation energy determines the sensitivity of the compound. The final element has to do with the speed at which the reaction takes place. Some reactions are limited by outside components, so the stored energy can only be released very slowly, leading to a burn. However, other compounds can release their energy very fast, leading to a more explosive result.
Why do some things explode and some things only burn? Why do some things do neither? As it turns out, the answer has multiple parts. The first has to do with stored, or potential, energy which can be converted to other forms of energy like kinetic energy, light, heat and sound. To release this energy, chemicals have to be supplied with a certain amount of activation energy. This activation energy determines the sensitivity of the compound. The final element has to do with the speed at which the reaction takes place. Some reactions are limited by outside components, so the stored energy can only be released very slowly, leading to a burn. However, other compounds can release their energy very fast, leading to a more explosive result.
![What is the Smallest Thing Possible? [ft. Everything Science]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J7Ui7lKcYZ4/mqdefault.jpg "What is the Smallest Thing Possible? [ft. Everything Science]
Check out our video over on Everything Sciences channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg1OAti1hFU
Things in our universe are get really small. So small that the sizes very quickly become unimaginable. Asking what the smallest thing that we know of is is an interesting question to consider. But an even more interesting question is what the smallest thing possible is. The answer blends together quantum mechanics, special relativity, and general relativity in an incredible way.
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