explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T19:25:13Z

83.105.4.243:

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Neutrinos}} only rarely interact with matter as they are uncharged and have very little mass. A neutrino detector such as that mentioned in the comic uses photomultiplier tubes to monitor a large volume of water for Cherenkov radiation emitted when an incoming neutrino creates a fast-moving lepton. The comic suggests that the first neutrino detector was only created by researchers misusing grant money to build a swimming pool and throw a pool party. Scientific equipment is expensive and many grants are on the order of millions of dollars, so the pool party must indeed have been huge.

As the title text alludes to, neutrino detectors are built underground for shielding purposes, often repurposing abandoned mines because the excavation work has already been done. However, in this scenario the shielding too was an excuse to "the funding people" and the pool was in fact built in a mine to hide it from them.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is a large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. Ponytail and Cueball are talking in the pool, two hairy Kidballs are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a Danish are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we '''''did''''' build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at '''''some''''' point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T19:19:09Z

83.105.4.243:

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Neutrinos}} only rarely interact with matter as they are uncharged and have very little mass. A neutrino detector such as that mentioned in the comic uses photomultiplier tubes to monitor a large volume of water for Cherenkov radiation emitted when an incoming neutrino creates a fast-moving lepton. The comic suggests that the first neutrino detector was only created by researchers misusing grant money to build a swimming pool and throw a pool party. Scientific equipment is expensive and many grants are on the order of millions of dollars, so the pool party must indeed have been huge.

As the title text alludes to, neutrino detectors are built underground for shielding purposes. However, in this scenario the shielding too was an excuse to "the funding people" and the pool was in fact built in a mine to hide it from them.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is al large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. Ponytail and Cueball are talking in the pool, two hairy Kidballs are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a Danish are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we '''DID''' build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at '''''SOME''''' point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T19:17:35Z

83.105.4.243:

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

Neutrinos only rarely interact with matter as they are uncharged. A neutrino detector such as that mentioned in the comic uses photomultiplier tubes to monitor a large volume of water for Cherenkov radiation emitted when an incoming neutrino creates a fast-moving lepton. The comic suggests that the first neutrino detector was only created by researchers misusing grant money to build a swimming pool and throw a pool party. Scientific equipment is expensive and many grants are on the order of millions of dollars, so the pool party must indeed have been huge.

As the title text alludes to, neutrino detectors are built underground for shielding purposes. However, in this scenario the shielding too was an excuse to "the funding people" and the pool was in fact built underground to hide it from them.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is al large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. Ponytail and Cueball are talking in the pool, two hairy Kidballs are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a Danish are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we '''DID''' build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at '''''SOME''''' point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T19:13:20Z

83.105.4.243:

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

Neutrinos only rarely interact with matter as they are uncharged. A neutrino detector such as that mentioned in the comic uses photomultiplier tubes to monitor a large volume of water for Cherenkov radiation emitted when an incoming neutrino creates a fast-moving lepton. The comic suggests that the first neutrino detector was only created by researchers misusing grant money to build a swimming pool and throw a pool party.

As the title text alludes to, neutrino detectors are built underground for shielding purposes. However, in this scenario the shielding too was an excuse to "the funding people" and the pool was in fact built underground to hide it from them.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is al large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. Ponytail and Cueball are talking in the pool, two hairy Kidballs are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a Danish are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we ('''DID''') build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at ('''''SOME''''') point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T19:09:20Z

83.105.4.243:

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

Neutrinos only rarely interact with matter as they are uncharged. A neutrino detector such as that mentioned in the comic uses photomultiplier tubes to monitor a large volume of water for Cherenkov radiation emitted when an incoming neutrino creates a fast-moving lepton. The comic suggests that the first neutrino detector was only created by researchers misusing grant money to build a swimming pool and throw a pool party.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is al large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. Ponytail and Cueball are talking in the pool, two hairy Kidballs are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a Danish are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we ('''DID''') build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at ('''''SOME''''') point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T19:05:20Z

83.105.4.243: