When defusing a bomb, why can’t you just cut all wires at once?

Question

When defusing a bomb, why can’t you just cut all wires at once?

In: 3949

Answer 1

That’s essentially what bomb disposal robots do. They put a small explosive up against the bomb and detonate it to physically move all the bomb parts away from each other, breaking all the wires at once.

But, if you’re a clever evildoer, bombs can be made with mechanical protection for their detonators – like putting them inside the pipe with the explosive. The wires charge up a capacitor and when the electrical input goes away the bomb detonates. If you cut wires in such a bomb, you set it off while you’re right next to it, not good.