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Police arrest Swedish man who tried to split atom in his kitchen.

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Comments

  • #2
    Absurdum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,444 ✭✭✭Absurdum


    I like the images they use to accompany the story, not far-fetched at all.


  • #3
    ICE HOUSE
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 278 ✭✭ICE HOUSE


    Just hope he was wearing his safety glasses.


  • #4
    feelpablo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 510 ✭✭✭feelpablo


    KABOOM.....oh excuse me, it must have been that "bean" i ate today!!!


  • #5
    admiralofthefleet
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,515 ✭✭✭✭admiralofthefleet


    my sides are splitting


    sorry


  • #6
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    ICE HOUSE wrote: »
    Just hope he was wearing his safety glasses.
    And ate his iodate tablets.


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  • #7
    admiralofthefleet
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,515 ✭✭✭✭admiralofthefleet


    swamp gas reflecting off of venus or some other kind of shite, nothing to see here


  • #8
    skelliser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭skelliser


    The excerpt on how to perform the experiment is wrong as well.

    The atom was first split by Cockroft and Walton, who was irish btw, in the 1930's.
    They won the nobel prize for physics.
    His son is also a Professor of Physics at NUIG.

    The experiment is not actually that difficult to perform.


  • #9
    skelliser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭skelliser


    double post


  • #10
    dvpower
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,182 ✭✭✭dvpower


    ^^ For someone who can split posts


  • #11
    Slunk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,556 ✭✭✭Slunk


    I'm sure investigators are dying to get atom


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  • #12
    CardBordWindow
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,209 ✭✭✭CardBordWindow


    Before the police arrested him, did they say 'UP AND ATOM!!'?


  • #13
    Parsley
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,144 ✭✭✭Parsley


    skelliser wrote: »
    The excerpt on how to perform the experiment is wrong as well.

    The atom was first split by Cockroft and Walton, who was irish btw, in the 1930's.
    They won the nobel prize for physics.
    His son is also a Professor of Physics at NUIG.

    The experiment is not actually that difficult to perform.

    they split a lithium atom though, didn't they? i think the article's talking about splitting radioactive nuclei to produce chain reactions, the kind used in bombs and reactors. they should've clarified that.


  • #14
    skelliser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭skelliser


    Parsley wrote: »
    they split a lithium atom though, didn't they? i think the article's talking about splitting radioactive nuclei to produce chain reactions, the kind used in bombs and reactors. they should've clarified that.

    yes but the principle is the same.

    In this case radium, americium and uranium are obviously not easily found!

    besides the health and safety aspects i dont see what wrong this guy did! all the tools and components can be gotten easily enough.


  • #15
    AgileMyth
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,746 ✭✭✭AgileMyth


    CardBordWindow wrote: »
    Before the police arrested him, did they say 'UP AND ATOM!!'?
    Up and At-Them!


  • #16
    Wibbs
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,387 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    skelliser wrote: »
    In this case radium, americium and uranium are obviously not easily found!
    Radium is pretty easy to get. Old clocks and watches with luminous dials before the late 50's. The radiation burns off the phosphors withing about 20 years so the old dials won't glow(or very little) today, but the radium is still running very strong. After the 50's they switched to Tritium which is much less radioactive but has a much shorter half life. You might beable to get usable uranium from thorium which is very common. Americium? Lots and lots of smoke detectors I suppose. It would be very long winded though.

    Many worry about Artificial Intelligence. I worry far more about Organic Idiocy.



  • #17
    maxxie
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 949 ✭✭✭maxxie


    spas!


  • #18
    Emiko
    Closed Accounts Posts: 449 ✭✭Emiko


    For such a dastardly crime he'll probably be sentenced to half-life.


  • #19
    Lapin
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,183 ✭✭✭✭Lapin


    I split an atom once.

    Messy.

    I won't try that again in a hurry.


  • #20
    krudler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,788 ✭✭✭✭krudler


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Radium is pretty easy to get. Old clocks and watches with luminous dials before the late 50's. The radiation burns off the phosphors withing about 20 years so the old dials won't glow(or very little) today, but the radium is still running very strong. After the 50's they switched to Tritium which is much less radioactive but has a much shorter half life. You might beable to get usable uranium from thorium which is very common. Americium? Lots and lots of smoke detectors I suppose. It would be very long winded though.

    Is there some sort of supervillian night course I can attend to learn more about this sort of stuff?


  • #21
    discus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,049 ✭✭✭discus


    He wasn't splitting atoms, he was just making a strong Curie.


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  • #22
    Sykk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,327 ✭✭✭Sykk


    Daily Mail wrote:
    Picture of a nuclear bomb exploding
    Safety first: It's best to split atoms in a nuclear reactor - or somewhere far from civilisation

    Haha, classic skilled writing.. Daily mail never fails to make me laugh


  • #23
    looksee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 31,705 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.

    So? I do that all the time.


  • #24
    discus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,049 ✭✭✭discus


    He gave himself away with his "gone fission" sign on the door


  • #25
    castletownman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,251 ✭✭✭✭castletownman


    "No police officer, that glowing is only the aurelius borealis"
    "In your kitchen?"
    "Yes"


  • #26
    Wertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,909 ✭✭✭✭Wertz


    A long read but worth the effort:

    http://www.wesjones.com/silverstein1.htm

    Something a bit more concise:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

    Basically a guy in the 'States that wanted to get some obscure boy scouting badge in chemistry by developing a fully functional slow breeder reactor from parts he cobbled together from smoke alarms and old watch dials...
    The first link goes into the detail of what he did, fascinating in it's complexity and scary that you might be living next door to the type who takes up a hobby like this...


  • #27
    PrzemoF
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,929 ✭✭✭PrzemoF


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    G[..]
    Your average Ionization chamber in a smoke detector would contain approximately 0.5 grams of americium-241 encapsulated in a metal chamber. :p[..]

    With 0.5 g of americum you could make 1.000.000 smoke detectors - average detector contains 0.3 microgram of americium-241.


  • #28
    opinion guy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,000 ✭✭✭✭opinion guy


    BBC interview here:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14403432

    The interviewer clearly thinks he could have blown up the neighbourhood


  • #29
    Jam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 269 ✭✭Jam


    Ah yes, the typical ignorance of the media, and population in general, with regards to nuclear fission.

    I once tried to explain to an acquaintance, an artist, what they are trying to do at CERN with the LHC, I got as far into the explanation as the weak nuclear force before she looked at me in horror.


  • #30
    cosmicfart
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,298 ✭✭✭cosmicfart


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    Going by the above i'm sure almost every resident in this country could be busted for the possession of radioactive substances. :eek:

    Your average Ionization chamber in a smoke detector would contain approximately 0.5 grams of americium-241 encapsulated in a metal chamber. :p

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2022333/Police-arrest-Swedish-man-tried-split-atom-KITCHEN.html


    they should bring the death penalty back for this guy and nuke the fooker straight up!


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  • #31
    Paddy Cow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,576 ✭✭✭Paddy Cow


    This comment from the DM made me chuckle
    I'm sorry to bring a little of the ridiculous into an obviously important and scentific subject. I just had this surreal fantasy of the guy in his kitchen, armed with a meat cleaver and holding an atom with the salad tongs...


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