StayThirstyMyAguila wrote:daftbeaker wrote:same as anyone in the Manhattan Project or a secondary school physics teacher
Correct me if I'm wrong, but secondary school is the English equivalent of high school, no? And no secondary school physics teacher in America has that kind of equipment, unless they specifically specialize in an area that uses the equipment (sorry, couldn't find a better way to word that. It bugs me too).
Really? I've just had 2 of my colleagues go through radiation handling courses to check they are competent to deal with alpha, beta and gamma radiation sources in front of students. American education is less specialised or more risk averse than I thought, and I was considering a few years abroad in 5 years or so.
StayThirstyMyAguila wrote:daftbeaker wrote:The half-spheres completely closed around the plutonium.But they didn't or it would have gone bang. Even if it didn't, Slotin couldn't have separated them in time if they had completely closed.
Yes he could have, there was a hole in the top which he was holding it by (picture a very dangerous bowling ball with only one hole), but that's irrelevant.
He was manipulating the beryllium spheres using a screwdriver blade between them. The fact that there was a hole in the top hemisphere is irrelevant - the screwdriver was what was controlling the angle of the top hemisphere. If both beryllium spheres had closed and stayed closed, by the time Slotin had reacted, put a finger in the top hemisphere and lifted it clear it is likely more people in the room would have received a dangerous, if not lethal, dose of radiation.
StayThirstyMyAguila wrote:daftbeaker wrote:He immediately tasted copper and saw white spots in his eyes.You know this how?
First of all, really? You just HAD to ask?
I know because it's what happens when a human is put under extreme radiation. That and the guys standing behind him experienced similar symptoms, just less so.
Evidence? I couldn't find anything about victim statements from the second demon core incident?