Help with Nuke math

[beachhead1985]

I'm embarrassed, but I am working with the make your own nuke rules in IO and I can figure out what do to with this symbol (^) in the Crater Depth and Blast Radius calculations.

I'm having trouble even finding this symbol online and my calculator doesn't have it.

I'm working with a 1.5kt warhead.

So it's like 1.5 ^ (1/4) to figure crater depth

and

Ground Blast Radius=25x{1.5^(1/3)}



Thanks for your time.

[Daryk]

It means "raise to the power of", which with fractional exponents means take a root.  The crater depth equation is a fourth root (square root twice), while the blast radius is a cube root.

[beachhead1985]

so for the first one, it's 1.5 to the power of 4? I get 1.1 and change for that. Rounded down to 1 Level crater

or maybe 5, depending on how I do it.

And blast radius is 1.5 to the power of 3? and I get 3.375 for the second or a total ground blast radius of 84 hexes

[Daryk]

To the power of one-fourth (0.25) for the first, and to the power of one-third (0.3333) for the second.

[beachhead1985]

So it would look like 1.5x0.25 and 1.5x0.3333 ?

[Daryk]

No, that would be multiplication.  The function you should look for on your calculator is x^y.  The calculator installed with Windows has it when you switch to Scientific mode (in the View menu).  The calculations from the book might have been more clearly rendered as:

1.5^(1/4) to figure crater depth

and

Ground Blast Radius=25x{1.5^(1/3)}

[beachhead1985]

No, that would be multiplication.  The function you should look for on your calculator is x^y.  The calculator installed with Windows has it when you switch to Scientific mode (in the View menu).  The calculations from the book might have been more clearly rendered as:

1.5^(1/4) to figure crater depth

and

Ground Blast Radius=25x{1.5^(1/3)}

OH! Okay I think I found that, so it looked like X3 and then the other was X2, twice, right?

[Daryk]

Except that the exponents are fractions, not whole numbers.  You can either use the x^y button with the fractions (1/4=0.25 and 1/3=0.3333) or use the button next to it with the y-root-of-x symbol with 4 and 3.

[beachhead1985]

Except that the exponents are fractions, not whole numbers.  You can either use the x^y button with the fractions (1/4=0.25 and 1/3=0.3333) or use the button next to it with the y-root-of-x symbol with 4 and 3.

So I ought to come out with 0.125 for the first and 0.1924 for the second?

[Daryk]

I get 1.1067 (rounded) for the first and 28.618 (rounded) for the second.

The exact key punches I used were:

1.5 [square root] [square root]

The square root key looks like a check mark and is just above the "%" key on the far right (even in standard view).

and

1.5 [cube root]

• 25 [=]

The cube root key is between the x³ and "1" keys in the middle of the scientific view key pad.

[beachhead1985]

Wow. Not even in the ballpark.

This is why I had to ask. An hour on the net searching myself and i didn't even have a start and then i was still lost in the woods! Thank you!

[Daryk]

No problem... here's a link with a relatively simple explanation of the more general rule for exponents: https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/exponent-fractional.html

Hope that helps!

[beachhead1985]

It sure does! I may be referring back to this often, over time.