Detonation vs. Percussion — What's the Difference?

Detonation (from Latin detonare 'to thunder down/forth') is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations occur in both conventional solid and liquid explosives, as well as in reactive gases.

The striking together of two bodies, especially when noise is produced.

The act of exploding.

The sound, vibration, or shock caused by the striking together of two bodies.

An explosion.

The act of detonating a percussion cap in a firearm.

(chemistry) An explosion or sudden report made by the near-instantaneous decomposition or combustion of unstable substances. Specifically, combustion that spreads supersonically via shock compression.

A method of medical diagnosis in which various areas of the body, especially the chest, back, and abdomen, are tapped to determine by resonance the condition of internal organs.

(by extension) Any sudden explosion made by an exothermic process (whether chemical or not) that produces a supersonic shock wave.

The section of a band or orchestra composed of percussion instruments.

(mechanical engineering) engine knocking, a type of improper combustion in gasoline piston engines.

Percussion instruments or their players considered as a group.

An explosion or sudden report made by the instantaneous decomposition or combustion of unstable substances; as, the detonation of gun cotton.

(countable) The collision of two bodies in order to produce a sound.

A violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction

(countable) The sound so produced.

The act of detonating an explosive

(countable) The detonation of a percussion cap in a firearm.

(medicine) The tapping of the body as an aid to medical diagnosis.

(music) The section of an orchestra or band containing percussion instruments; such instruments considered as a group; in bands, may be separate from drum kits.

(engineering) The repeated striking of an object to break or shape it, as in percussion drilling.

(palmistry) The outer side of the hand.

The act of percussing, or striking one body against another; forcible collision, esp. such as gives a sound or report.

Hence: The effect of violent collision; vibratory shock; impression of sound on the ear.

The act of tapping or striking the surface of the body in order to learn the condition of the parts beneath by the sound emitted or the sensation imparted to the fingers. Percussion is said to be immediate if the blow is directly upon the body; if some interventing substance, as a pleximeter, is, used, it is called mediate.

The act of playing a percussion instrument

The act of exploding a percussion cap

The section of a band or orchestra that plays percussion instruments

Tapping a part of the body for diagnostic purposes