this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 59 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

a) Alvin:
²³⁵U (α, t~½~ = 7.04 × 10⁸ y) (fissile @ spherical critical diameter 17.3 cm) →
²³¹Th (β⁻, t~½~ = 25.5 h) →
²³¹Pa (α, t~½~ = 3.27 × 10⁴ y) →
²²⁷Ac (β⁻, t~½~ = 21.8 y) →
²²⁷Th (α, t~½~ = 18.7 d) →
²²³Ra (α, t~½~ = 11.4 d) →
²¹⁹Rn (α, t~½~ = 3.96 s) →
²¹⁵Po (α, t~½~ = 1.78 s) →
²¹¹Pb (β⁻, t~½~ = 36.1 min) →
²¹¹Bi (α, t~½~ = 2.14 min) →
²⁰⁷Tl (β⁻, t~½~ = 4.77 min) →
²⁰⁷Pb (stable)

b) Theodore:
²³⁹Pu (α, t~½~ = 2.031 × 10⁴ y) →
²³⁵U (α, t~½~ = 7.04 × 10⁸ y) →
²³¹Th (β⁻, t~½~ = 25.5 h) →
²³¹Pa (α, t~½~ = 3.27 × 10⁴ y) →
²²⁷Ac (β⁻, t~½~ = 21.8 y) →
²²⁷Th (α, t~½~ = 18.7 d) →
²²³Ra (α, t~½~ = 11.4 d) →
²¹⁹Rn (α, t~½~ = 3.96 s) →
²¹⁵Po (α, t~½~ = 1.78 s) →
²¹¹Pb (β⁻, t~½~ = 36.1 min) →
²¹¹Bi (α, t~½~ = 2.14 min) →
²⁰⁷Tl (β⁻, t~½~ = 4.77 min) →
²⁰⁷Pb (stable)

c) Simon:
²²⁵Ra (β⁻, t~½~ = 14.9 d) →
²²⁵Ac (α, t~½~ = 9.92 d) →
²²¹Fr (α, t~½~ = 4.18 min) →
²¹⁷At (α, t~½~ = 32.3 ms) →
²¹³Bi (β⁻, t~½~ = 45.6 min) →
²¹³Po (α, t~½~ = 3.65 μs) →
²⁰⁹Pb (β⁻, t~½~ = 3.25 h) →
²⁰⁹Bi (α, t~½~ = 2.01 × 10¹⁹ y) (this is WAY more than the age of the universe so it’s unlikely that any atom in the sample will become tellurium in Simon’s lifetime)→
²⁰⁵Tl (stable)

[–] [email protected] 48 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It took me far too long to realize what was going on before this image was modified...

[–] [email protected] 33 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I was gonna say, it looks very much like some funky stuff

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

They don't even appear to be close enough to be doing whats implied. Its like they're licking the couch lol

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago

Dear god...

[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Messing up the order of the Chipmunks hurts my brain.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

That was the first thing I thought too lol Simon is supposed to be second and I just can't handle it

[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago

They're close enough to each other for that shit to not matter. They are dead as fuck fr

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Doesn't matter. They're all gonna die,so I see this as an absolute win. (Sorry,I'm old,and have heard the Christmas song enough times this makes me smile)

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

As a fellow chipmunks hater, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you to check out chipmunks on 16 speed. Truly a mind melting experience.

I'm sorry, you're welcome.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Holy shit dude,the stories in the comments,tho. But really these munks I could get behind,lol. Definitely better than the crap we got

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Definitely Simon since radium has a much higher activity than the other two.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Yes, you happen to be correct but you can't just say that. Different isotopes of each of these elements can be many orders of magnitude more active. If I could summon a few grams of any isotope of carbon (like C-20 that decays in microseconds), I could kill you with radiation poisoning instantly.

Anyway, it’s β⁻ decay so they are all affected, plus some α from secondary products that will be mostly received by Simon.

Unless Alvin’s ²³⁵U is above critical mass, in which case they all die very quickly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Your comment above gave the half lives of the main substances and their secondary products, right? Could you recommend any resources for someone to learn how to do what you did above?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

To expand a bit, you look up the isotope, look at their decay products, and then look up their decay products, and so on until you get to a stable isotope (usually lead or iron).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I used nothing but about 20 Wikipedia pages lol. It would be more if I also checked the less common decay path but that's <2% at most.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

Wow, Dimension 20 "Burrow's End" is wild

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I hate the fact I know this

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

im WAKIN UP

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Radium produces the most radiation by miles. The plutonium gives off some alpha radiation that won't hurt you if you don't eat it. (Eye protection would be a good idea I suppose.) I don't remember what U-235 emits but I don't think it's a huge amount.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

The half-life of ^235^U is hundreds of millions of years so it is not a concern. However, it will literally become a nuke if too much (a few liters or 60 kg) get too close together.

The half-life of plutonium-239 is tens of thousands of years so only a thousandth will get a chance to hurt Theodore over his lifetime. However, it is probably chemically toxic so it might cause non-radiation poisoning.

Radium-225 will decay in days, and will quickly go through 7 more radioactive reactions, both alpha and beta, before becoming essentially stable bismuth. It is the worst by far.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

The plutonium gives off some alpha radiation that won’t hurt you if you don’t eat it.

Breathing in particles of plutonium is the danger.

Because it emits alpha particles, plutonium is most dangerous when inhaled. When plutonium particles are inhaled, they lodge in the lung tissue. The alpha particles can kill lung cells, which causes scarring of the lungs, leading to further lung disease and cancer. Plutonium can enter the blood stream from the lungs and travel to the kidneys, meaning that the blood and the kidneys will be exposed to alpha particles. Once plutonium circulates through the body, it concentrates in the bones, liver, and spleen, exposing these organs to alpha particles. Plutonium that is ingested from contaminated food or water does not pose a serious threat to humans because the stomach does not absorb plutonium easily and so it passes out of the body in the feces.

Radioisotope Brief: Plutonium

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago