Puzzle 3 (Physics)

[shkrobius]

After years of unscrupulous machinations, Dr. Evil succeeded in getting his hands on a 10 kt A-bomb. His plan is to inflict the maximum damage on the Great Satan: the degenerate West. But the yield appears to be too small for such an ambitious goal. Also, his ethical principles forbid him from killing people, at least directly. He cannot, say,

Comments

[dennett]

Взорватъ бомбу дистанционно в отдаленной пустыне предварителъно предупредив СМИ - и затем пригрозитъ взорватъ такую же в одном из дюжины крупнейших мировых городов. Возникщая в результате паника принесет искомый ущерб.

[shkrobius]

You can do better than that. Furthermore, Dr. Good knows that Dr. Evil has only one bomb. Dr. Evil cannot bluff.

[boriskogan]

Bomb a dam which is above a densely populated area.

[shkrobius]

You would kill people. That's unethical.

[boriskogan]

warn them first so they can evacuate, the material damage should enough of a threat.

[shkrobius]

Too little, too local.

[arbat]

1. Продать с молотка, надеясь, что америка выложит крупную сумму.
2. Взорвать в верхних слоях атмосферы над крупным финансовым центром, создав EMP.

[shkrobius]

Dr. Evil is not interested in money. EMP may wipe out computers on the ground, but surely the vital financial information is not stored there, and it is multiply copied. Computers will be rapidly reinstalled, and the information reloaded; but his only A-bomb will be gone. He can do better.

[arbat]

1. Dr. Evil is not interested in money? Дело не в том, чтобы деьги получить, а в том, чтобы их отобрать. :-)

2. "but surely the vital financial information is not stored there" - На восстановление уйдут месяцы. Добавьте панику и всевозможные судебные процессы.

[shkrobius]

1. Hmm, I have not thought of that. But what is he going to do with all these money? The governments can always print more. Perhaps he can demand something more precious or, say, require self-destruction. But what if the governments will refuse? Then he would need to show that he is not bluffing. So he still needs to have a plan for the maximum destruction, if only to bluff. We are back to the square one.

2. He wants a more lasting and greater damage.

[vdinets]

Well, he could blow up Mecca. Relatively few people would die if it´s not during Hajj, but everybody would blame the West and its moral authority would be forever compromized.
Dr. Good could prevent this by nuking the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, thus solving the Arab-Israeli conflict and bringing peace to the Middle East, so that if Mecca is nuked, too, few people would blame the West - everybody would think it´s the same secret organization that nuked the Temple Mount.

[shkrobius]

Excellent thinking, and that is a great evil plan indeed, but "relatively few" would not do for Dr. Evil. He is a principled individual. No direct killing.

[vdinets]

Well, he could try to blow the lid off Yellowstone supervolcano, to destroy US economy, but I don't think it would work...

[shkrobius]

No, it would not, the yield is too small.
The solution is given on
http://shkrobius.livejournal.com/86292.html