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A time bomb is usually an improvised explosive device comprised of a power source, often a battery, detonator, explosive charge, and timer, which substitutes for a fuse or trigger. Depending upon the design, the bomb can be set to detonate any time between a few minutes and several days after it has been secreted within the target area; also, a fake fuse, which serves no actual purpose in the bomb, can be implanted as a failsafe in case of discovery; the discoverer, thinking that the bomb is harmless as the fuse is not lit, may carry the bomb on their person to report it to authorities, unaware that it will still explode. The delay allows the person placing the bomb:
- to move away from the blast radius to avoid hurting themselves
- to move away to be more difficult to be identified as the planter of the time bomb
- to place the device when nobody is present, and set it to detonate when victims are expected to be around.
Compare with devices where the delay is shorter (eg. 4–5 seconds for a hand grenade), other methods of triggering, such as by remote control, or some kind of sensor, such as air pressure (altitude/barometric), radar, vibration or contact (landmine or trip-wire mine), and the case of a suicide attack, where no delay is needed.
One kind of time bomb, used by paramilitary groups, is the Timing Power Unit; it is incredibly easy to manufacture, it can even be made by a child; but it is also thus easy to sabotage, by cutting the wires (as happened on the ship Eksund, in October 1987).
Other uses of the term
As a metaphorical figure of speech, the term "time bomb" refers to a situation where the danger is increasing and there is a point in time where the situation becomes "explosive" or disastrous. This is often used in a political relations sense, where two groups of differing opinion disagree so violently that many may consider it simply a matter of time before some sort of violence occurs. The situation is then said to be a "time bomb".
The term can also refer to a self-executing computer file saved in a hidden directory on a computer system which will cause massive damage to other saved files, also known as a logic bomb. One example of this was the Trojan horse "I love you" that caused massive damage to many mainframe computers.
In popular culture
Time bombs are very common in action/thriller TV series and films, where heroes often escape the blast area or defuse the bombs at the very last second (often performing a spectacular stunt).
Such TV series include:
- Knight Rider (1982-1986)
- MacGyver (1985-1992)
Notable films of recent times include:
- The Peacemaker (1997)
- With a Vengeance (1995)
Classic films include:
- James Bond: Goldfinger (1964)
They are also the subject of computer and video games, where the player must plant a time bomb or defuse it, depending on which faction he belongs to in that game.
Such games include:
- Counter-Strike (1999-present)
- Enemy Territory (2003)
- Sons of Liberty (2002)
The explosives most often used in those works of fiction are C4 and dynamite, though other explosives such as mixtures of gasoline + fertilizer, TNT and nuclear explosives are also common.
See also
"Time bomb"