The etymological origin of the term implosion that concerns us now is found in Latin. Specifically, we can establish that it is the result of having added two clearly differentiated lexical components of said language:
-The prefix “in-”, which means “inwards”.
-The root “-plod-”, which is taken from the verb “plaudere”. This can be translated as “explode.”
The concept of implosion comes from explosion , although with the substitution of the prefix. An explosion is the process that develops when, due to a rapid increase in pressure, energy is violently released , releasing gases, lights and heat, making noise and breaking the object where it was contained.
In the case of implosion, it occurs when a body registers a pressure lower than the external pressure , which causes its walls to break inward. For this reason, in colloquial language, it is often said that an implosion is a kind of inward explosion : the element that implodes collapses on itself due to an external force.
A submarine , for example, can implode if it submerges too much, beyond the limit that the ship can withstand. In that case, when the water pressure is very high due to the depth, implosion occurs and the submarine is compressed suddenly and with a loud noise. It is suspected that this is what happened to the ARA San Juan , an Argentine Navy submarine that disappeared in November 2017 in the Atlantic Ocean with 44 people on board.
The idea of implosion is also often used to refer to a method that allows a building, tunnel, bridge, etc. to be demolished . However, it is not technically an implosion since there is no difference in internal and external pressure, but rather the support points are eliminated or weakened so that the structure cannot withstand the force of gravity and falls on itself. .
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot ignore that there is also what is known as demographic implosion. Specifically, this term is used to refer to the phenomenon that leads to a change in the distribution of the population. And this is found in agricultural or industrial communities that have high population densities, instead of settling and locating in small groups.
In the same way, in the field of astronomy the use of the term we are addressing is also used. Specifically, when the word implosion is used it is to refer to the notable reduction in the size of a star due to what is known as gravitational collapse. We can establish that this consists of a stellar body coming to collapse inward, due to its own gravity, causing what is known as a black hole to emerge.
Finally, we can indicate that “Implosion” is the title of a novel published in 2017 and written by the Portuguese Nuno Judice.