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[–] 120 points 3 months ago (7 children)

I'm guessing it's trying to make fun of fissile atoms. But I see two problems with this.

  1. It's not specified what type of atom it is. Most atoms in our surroundings do not release energy when split, but instead requires a, comparatively, large amount at energy to undergo fission.
  2. Even if they found a uranium-235 atom, one the most fissile elements found in the earths crust, the energy released by a single atom is miniscule. You need a huge amount of atoms to make anything akin to a bomb.

And yes, I've been hugely popular at both parties I've attended.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago

    And yes, I've been hugely popular at both parties I've attended.

    Well obviously! Everybody here can see you have at LEAST two shit-hot science facts just ready to go when the house ain't bumping.

    Not all heroes wear capes. Some stick with lab coats.

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  • [–] 18 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    Would splitting one single atom in a non dense environment start a nuclear chain reaction? And why do I ask such questions when it's simply a cartoon to snicker about?

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  • [–] 24 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    no, there are lots of atoms splitting inside your body every second.

    a single U-235 atom's fission, releasing ~200MeV, (30 picojoules), in ideal circumstances could maybe nudge a very small fine grain of sand ( micrograms) enough to see movement (small fraction of a millimetre) under a microscope .

    It takes months of refining to make nuclear fuel that's suitable for sustaining a chain reaction.

    it's an interesting question, I'm glad I did the research checking that the orders of magnitude match!

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  • [+] -7 points 3 months ago (1 child)
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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Was that not Albert Einstein’s fear regarding the bomb? That Earth’s atmosphere would simply ignite when exposed to the initial reaction?

    I think our sitting here, snickering at a comic about a biblical nuclear explosion, is proof that it wouldn’t happen.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    i believe there was some early speculation that the unprecedented temperature of the Trinity test might ignite the atmosphere, somehow making the nitrogen burn, but that would be a chemical reaction, not a nuclear reaction.

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  • [–] 9 points 3 months ago

    I think this is my new favorite comic strip.

    It's just so good. It hits all my buttons. 10/10

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Weirdly enough this is also Elder Scrolls lore somehow

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  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Seriously what good would half a baby be

    It'd be way way grosser than a regular baby for one thing

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Is this based off an allegory?

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  • [–] [S] 19 points 3 months ago

    Yeah, it's biblical.

    The abbreviated story is that two women were both claiming a baby as theirs, and King Solomon had to make a judgement. He suggested the only fair way was to split the baby in two, knowing the real mom would give up her claim to prevent that from happening. One woman said split it, the real mom retracted her claim, and Solomon gave the baby to the real mom.

    The joke here is that they split an atom instead of a baby.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    It’s the only way to be sure.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    A single atom doesn't have that much energy. A phone burns several worth an hour.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago*

    Hence why if you ever see someone shoplift an atom, no the fuck you didn't.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    Now imagine if they combined two atoms, or brought together matter and antimatter...

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  • [–] -3 points 3 months ago (2 children)