  Measurements of the time of arrival of shock waves from explosions can serve
as powerful markers of the evolution of the shock front for determining crucial
parameters driving the blast. Using standard theoretical tools and a simple
ansatz for solving the hydrodynamics equations, a general expression for the
Mach number of the shock front is derived. Dimensionless coordinates are
introduced allowing a straightforward visualization and direct comparison of
blast waves produced by a variety of explosions, including chemical, nuclear,
and laser-induced plasmas. The results are validated by determining the yield
of a wide range of explosions, using data from gram-size charges to
thermonuclear tests.
