Editing 2514: Lab Equipment
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by a NEODYMIUM-DOPED MARSHMALLOW S'MORE- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | + | This comic claims that in every science lab, there exist some piece of equipment that sticks around less for being useful, and more because the scientists and technicians just think the device is really cool. | |
− | The | + | The comic presents a laboratory containing equipment for analysis of substances. While giving a tour [[Ponytail]] shows a spectrometer — a device that examines light emitted from or passed through samples to fingerprint emission or absorption lines in the mix of light. Next she shows the "Nd:YAG" lasers. It is unknown if the multiple lasers are for redundancy or if they have different specifications and are for different tests. "Nd:YAG" stands for {{w|Nd:YAG_laser|neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet}}; it is a lasing medium commonly used in lasers. Lastly she shows off a decommissioned laser not used in experiments, but rather for toasting marshmallows. Misuse of expensive, high-end equipment for heating junk food can lead to important breakthroughs. For example, the microwave oven was invented when {{w|Percy Spencer|someone working on microwave radar}} accidentally melted a candy bar. |
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+ | Contrariwise, laser etching and cutting is commonly available in hackerspaces or makerspaces, and toasted marshmallows can be made with high-definition shapes and textures, although a normal laser cutter may introduce toxic compounds to the food. Food products have also been fed through 3d printers in place of plastic filament, and the printer will heat and plot them into arbitrarily shaped volumes. Engineering research labs will also have some of these tools, but for chemical labs they could be a rare delight. | ||
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+ | The title-text probably relates to the critical heating required for proper {{w|Chocolate#Tempering|tempering}} of chocolate, as arbitrarily (re)melted chocolate loses various qualities of {{w|mouthfeel}} from the crystalline sugary structures that manufacturers engineer into them. In this case it is described as {{w|Annealing (materials science)|annealing}}, which is more commonly a heat-treatment technique more used to influence the nature of the crystals in metals for structural reasons. This is done when jewelry is molded from molten metal, but more likely Randall means a use of annealing in scientific research that no editors to this article have been aware of and added yet. | ||
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+ | Annealing is also used in {{w|Annealing_(glass)|glass production}}. As is {{w|Tempered glass|tempering}}, to create safety glass that is stronger and yet breaks into 'nicer' fragments when it does fail. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
:[Ponytail and Cueball are talking to each other. They are standing between two tables with equipment scattered on them, including lens-stands and eye-protection. Ponytail is pointing away from Cueball towards an unidentified off-panel location.] | :[Ponytail and Cueball are talking to each other. They are standing between two tables with equipment scattered on them, including lens-stands and eye-protection. Ponytail is pointing away from Cueball towards an unidentified off-panel location.] |