Editing 809: Los Alamos
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 10: | Line 10: | ||
This comic refers to the {{w|Manhattan Project}} at {{w|Los Alamos, New Mexico}}, where in 1945 their development of the first nuclear weapon had progressed to the point that they were going to explode "The Gadget" at {{w|Trinity Site}}. There was genuine concern that some unexpected result was possible, including the scenario about the atmosphere igniting. The scientists were almost certain that it would either work as expected, or just be a dud, but were unable to rule out several other scenarios. The test proceeded, and it worked as expected. Note that the "ignition" feared wasn't a chemical reaction (Nitrogen and oxygen reacting chemically is {{w|endothermic}}) but instead a ''nuclear'' fusion reaction involving atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen — which is to the atmosphere "burning" in the chemical sense as all nuclear weapons ever built is to a candle. | This comic refers to the {{w|Manhattan Project}} at {{w|Los Alamos, New Mexico}}, where in 1945 their development of the first nuclear weapon had progressed to the point that they were going to explode "The Gadget" at {{w|Trinity Site}}. There was genuine concern that some unexpected result was possible, including the scenario about the atmosphere igniting. The scientists were almost certain that it would either work as expected, or just be a dud, but were unable to rule out several other scenarios. The test proceeded, and it worked as expected. Note that the "ignition" feared wasn't a chemical reaction (Nitrogen and oxygen reacting chemically is {{w|endothermic}}) but instead a ''nuclear'' fusion reaction involving atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen — which is to the atmosphere "burning" in the chemical sense as all nuclear weapons ever built is to a candle. | ||
− | The joke part at the end is a reference to a common {{w|mnemonic}} device for basic {{w|trigonometric}} functions, namely identifying the relationships of ''sine'', ''cosine'', and ''tangent'' with respect to the lengths of a right triangle's edges: '''s'''ine = '''o'''pposite over '''h'''ypotenuse, '''c'''osine = '''a'''djacent over '''h'''ypotenuse, and '''t'''angent = '''o'''pposite over '''a'''djacent (in other words, SOH CAH TOA.) "Steve" becomes concerned by the seriousness of the situation, and wants to make sure that he has not made a mistake on stuff that should be ''very'' elementary to a scientist in his position. | + | The joke part at the end is a reference to a common {{w|mnemonic}} device for basic {{w|trigonometric}} functions, namely identifying the relationships of ''sine'', ''cosine'', and ''tangent'' with respect to the lengths of a right triangle's edges: '''s'''ine = '''o'''pposite over '''h'''ypotenuse, '''c'''osine = '''a'''djacent over '''h'''ypotenuse, and '''t'''angent = '''o'''pposite over '''a'''djacent (in other words, SOH CAH TOA.) "Steve" becomes concerned by the seriousness of the situation, and wants to make sure that he has not made a mistake on stuff that should be ''very'' elementary to a scientist in his position. (Steve is probably not a reference to any specific scientist in the real life Manhattan Project, see below). |
− | + | "Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds." – {{w|Robert Oppenheimer}}, Lead scientist on bomb project, quoting Hindu scripture after the successful test. There are very few jobs where one can say that with seriousness, as pointed out in the title text. | |
− | A Steve is referred to in a similar situation in comic [[1532: New Horizons]], where his miscalculations screw up the trajectory of the {{w|New Horizons}} space probe, sending it to Earth instead of Pluto. He would be at least 90 years old if it was to be the same Steve | + | A Steve is referred to in a similar situation in comic [[1532: New Horizons]], where his miscalculations screw up the trajectory of the {{w|New Horizons}} space probe, sending it to Earth instead of Pluto. He would be at least 90 years old if it was to be the same Steve though. A person named Steve also comes up with an inappropriate suggestion in [[1672: Women on 20s]]. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Three stick figures stand in front of a few graphs and scientific looking pictures. One of them has hair.] |
:Los Alamos, 1945... | :Los Alamos, 1945... | ||
:Cueball: We have a decision. If we've done our math right, this test will unleash heaven's fire and make us as gods. | :Cueball: We have a decision. If we've done our math right, this test will unleash heaven's fire and make us as gods. | ||
− | |||
:Cueball: But it's possible we made a mistake, and the heat will ignite the atmosphere, destroying the planet in a cleansing conflagration. | :Cueball: But it's possible we made a mistake, and the heat will ignite the atmosphere, destroying the planet in a cleansing conflagration. | ||
− | |||
:Steve: Wow. Um. Question: Just to double-check— although I'm 99% sure— | :Steve: Wow. Um. Question: Just to double-check— although I'm 99% sure— | ||
− | |||
:Steve: Is it "SOH CAH TOA" or "COH SAH TOA"? | :Steve: Is it "SOH CAH TOA" or "COH SAH TOA"? | ||
:Cueball: ''Oh, for the love of...'' can someone redo Steve's work? | :Cueball: ''Oh, for the love of...'' can someone redo Steve's work? | ||
:Hairy: I don't want to do the test anymore. | :Hairy: I don't want to do the test anymore. | ||
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | |||
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] | ||
− | |||
[[Category:Math]] | [[Category:Math]] | ||
[[Category:Physics]] | [[Category:Physics]] | ||
− |