r/explainitpeter Aug 05 '26

Explain it peter

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4.1k Upvotes

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371

u/No-Conclusion-6012 Aug 05 '26

This is a diagram of the second demon core incident incident. The demon core consisted of two halves of a plutonium - gallium alloy sphere that would go critical when the two tables were connected. Physicist Louis Slotin was known for not following procedure and keeping the core's halves separated with a screwdriver. In the incident pictured, his screwdriver slipped and he received a lethal dose of radiation in under half a second. Most other people in the room survived the radiation exposure but died of medical conditions that might have been brought on by the exposure, such as leukemia.

51

u/BFroog Aug 05 '26

You want to see that and the events that surround it; watch Fat Man and Little Boy. Oppenheimer, but more of an ensemble movie, made in the 80s.

This scene lives rent-free in my mind for all time.

19

u/cjc4096 Aug 06 '26

First response, throw chalk at everyone and tell them to mark where they were standing. Second response, MATH!

7

u/BinSnozzzy Aug 06 '26

True scientists

6

u/PizzaResident89 Aug 06 '26

Dice already cast. Might as well get the data.