How much force is 26 billion joules?

Question

Let's say someone shot a laser beam at you that emitted 26 billion joules, what would that do to you? Cut you clean in half? Destroy you completely? What would it feel like?

Answer 1

If it was 26 billion joules over a period of ten thousand years, I don't think you would notice much at all. If it was 26 billion joules all in one second, ... you would be an expanding cloud of hot vapor. So which is it?

Answer 2

it would go straight thru you, my guess.

energy to heat 100 kg (about your body mass) from 20ºC to vapor is (aprox):

  E = 100(4 kJ/kgC x 80 + 2000 kJ/kg)

  E = 100(320 + 2000)

  E = 230000 kJ 0r 230 MJ

so you have 100 times the energy to vaporize a body.