Editing 1637: Salt Mine
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|This is a summary, not an explanation}} | |
+ | Ponytail justifies the construction of a particle detector (An expensive device used in experimental physics) in a salt mine, because the salt will block cosmic radiation that could interfere with the physics experiments. While this is a legitimate reason to use a salt mine, ponytail and her colleagues have an ulterior motive of using the mine to get access to an enormous supply of salt for eating. This is absurd, since salt is already plentifully available in grocery stores, and the cost of the particle detector far exceeds the value of the salt. | ||
− | + | Ponytail has built a particle detector in a salt mine. Hair Bun Girl assumes that this is to block out cosmic rays, as is the case with the real life the {{w|Irvine-Michigan-Brookhaven (detector)|Irvine-Michigan-Brookhaven detector}} (IMB), started in Lake Erie in 1979. Ponytail affirms Hair Bun Girl's assumption; however, based on the wording of her response, it is clear that Ponytail knows about Megan and Cueball's ulterior motives, which is eating salt in huge doses. | |
− | + | The IMB detector was initially used to search for proton decay in very pure water kept in the mine. Although the IMB became famous for detecting neutrinos from a supernova 1987a, it never observed a single proton decay out of 10^31 protons. At the time, even a single observation would have contributed to the Grand Unified Theory, predicting that protons eventually decay. In the comic, when Ponytail says "Yes, That's definitely why" it could refer to the large expectations that such detectors had promised. | |
− | + | The title text is intended to be absurd, and thus humorous. Salt is normally used to add flavor to otherwise bland foods. However, the "bland" food that the speaker is eating is itself a chunk of salt, and they wish to season their salt with yet more salt. The substance they are eating could be bland salt rock (a mixture of rock and salt in raw form resulting in a lower salt content). | |
− | + | This explanation should be taken with a grain of salt. | |
− | + | ==Transcript== | |
+ | {{incomplete transcript}} | ||
+ | [Hair Bun Girl, Ponytail, Cueball, and Megan are in a salt mine. Cueball and Megan are eating salt, while Hair Bun Girl and Ponytail talk in front of what appears to be a control console for a particle detector.] | ||
− | + | Hair Bun Girl: So you've built this particle detector in a salt mine to block out cosmic rays? | |
− | == | + | Ponytail: Yes. That is definitely why. |
− | + | ||
− | + | Cueball and Megan [eating salt]: Homf Nomf Nomf | |
− | + | ||
− | + | ==Trivia== | |
− | + | *In real life salt mines are also used for exotic restaurants, such as the 'Wieliczka' Salt Mine, in Poland - a use for mines which is more rare than particle detectors. The Wieliczka mine contains a complete bar, hardwood seating, and gourmet chefs located 125m below ground. Dishes are seasoned with Wieliczka salt mine salt, and is used liberally in the selections. In the comic, Cueball and Megan and show as possible employees of the particle detector, but are instead eating something with salt, which could be a humorous reference to the lack of proton decay results. | |
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | [[Category:Comics featuring | + | |
+ | [[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
− | |||
[[Category:Science]] | [[Category:Science]] | ||
− |