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Using Physics: Bombs and Explosions
The federal government maintains a department within the Depart-
ment of Justice that is tasked with policing and preventing the pub-
lic from violent crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,
and Explosives (ATF) is also charged with enforcing federal laws
regarding alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives, and arson.
the weakest part of the bomb’s container. In pipe bombs, this is often along
the seam where the metal was rolled together during production.
Bombers hoping to inflict the most destruction often add objects like
nails, ball bearings, or broken glass to their bombs to increase damage
done to people close to the explosion. These bombs can be the worst kind
because in addition to the death and terror they cause, they sometimes
leave maimed and scarred people to cope with the damage.
Examining Bomb Blasts
Crime scenes where there have been explosions are very difficult to ana-
lyze. A massive amount of debris is often scattered around, and if people
were present when the blast happened, the presence of bodies can add to
the chaos. Consequently, an examination of a bomb site is not an easy task.
Investigators usually start by figuring out where the bomb was placed. The
expansion of the shock wave leaves behind a very telling pattern of dam-
age that a person who understands the basics of physics can decipher. Like
a blood-spatter pattern, the shock wave radiates outward from the point of
origin, damaging whatever is in its path. It is sometimes more difficult to
determine the direction of the shock wave’s travel because of the cluttered
