My favorite story about estimating yields of nuclear weapons is the confetti method. I recollect it being attributed both to von Neumann and Fermi. I am not sure
who the actual person was.
The way it worked was at the sign of the flash he released torn shreds of paper and noted how far they were dispersed by the shock wave that followed. This mental calculation turned up to be quite accurate.
The way it worked was at the sign of the flash he released torn shreds of paper and noted how far they were dispersed by the shock wave that followed. This mental calculation turned up to be quite accurate.