Why does a nuclear explosion form a mushroom-shaped cloud? If you would tell me why frantic and furious fusion and fission have a fondness for the fungus form, I would certainly appreciate it.
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Shame on you, Paul. You know I cringe at F-words. You don’t need an atom bomb to make a mushroom cloud, just convection. Mushroom clouds typically occur when an explosion produces a massive fireball. Since the fireball is very hot and thus less dense than the surrounding air, it rises rapidly, forming the cap of the mushroom cloud. In its wake the fireball leaves a column of heated air that acts as a chimney, drawing in smoke and hot gases from ground fires to create the stalk of the mushroom. Since the center is the hottest part of the mushroom cloud, it rises faster than the outer edges, giving the impression that the cap is curling down around the stalk. Thus the familiar fungal form.
Mushroom clouds aren’t necessarily big. One of the Teeming Millions tells me he once set off a carbide noisemaker-type cannon with the igniter mechanism removed. Out of the hole where the igniter was supposed to go there issued a ten-inch mushroom cloud with a stem of fire and a cap of black smoke. And, we must suppose, a fabulously fierce foomp.
Self-publishing no doubt attracts its share of deluded souls, but it requires you to have a little more on the ball. Typically the author of a self-published book not only writes the thing but also arranges for its design, printing, marketing, and distribution. Most self-published authors are lucky to break even, but a few hit it big. Some books that were initially self-published:
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. Sold 20,000 copies before being picked up.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration by Slug Signorino.
