Actually, there's not as much difference as you might think between all of the above.

What kills the solid state circuits really is the voltage. Whether the duration of exposure is 10 nanoseconds or 10 seconds won't make much difference. I relate the probe story because it was the voltage that killed the transistors, and not how long I held the probe in the case. BTW, the duration of the EMP for a nuclear detonation is quite a bit longer than 10 nanoseconds. That's more like the duration of the spike from a lightning strike. But like I say, it isn't the duration, but the intensity.

In the remake of Ocean's Eleven (with George Clooney), they demonstrated the use of a "pinch", which was a chemically induced emp generator. While the characteristics were a bit embellished, the idea was about right (I'd wanted to avoid that reference, but I guess it is the only good one I can cite for the layman).

My point was precisely that not all EMPs are created equal, or have the same characteristics, though they share many attributes, the most noteworthy of which is the high intensity transitory electromagnetic field. You really could put all other arguments aside and just state that the purpose of EMPs is to blow solid state electronics all to heck.

This isn't an apples and oranges comparison, more like a Macintosh to Golden Delicious to Granny Smith type comparison. We are not nearly so divurgent here as the biologic references you refer to.

I guess the bottom line here is, "If the lights go out and your watch quits, you got greater concerns than checking your Ipod, and I hope you brought a good pair of walking shoes with you. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />