Difference between revisions of "2662: Physics Safety Tip"

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(Explanation: Readded part about ordinary conditions being boring)
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
 
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT PHYSICISTS ARE EXCITED ABOUT (STEP AWAY, BUSTER) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
 
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT PHYSICISTS ARE EXCITED ABOUT (STEP AWAY, BUSTER) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In general, there are very narrow ranges of temperature, pressure, and chemical makeup humans can survive in. Physicists often find these ordinary conditions boring and instead study more extreme conditions, most of which would be quickly lethal to humans — anything from the core of stars to the vacuum of space and many, many things in between. Thus, extreme conditions are very dangerous for most organisms. Even for especially resilient organisms, such as tardigrades, there is a point past which they will [https://what-if.xkcd.com/141/ stop being biology and start being physics], in which case their resilience will not save them. Thus, if a physicist is excited about something, it likely exists in circumstances where your own existence—as well as other life—would meet an end. One (partial) exception is particle beams; {{w|Anatoli Bugorski|people can stick their heads in particle beams and survive—but not unscathed.}} Also, physicists used to be excited about (particles produced by) cosmic rays before they had powerful accelerators.
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In general, there are very narrow ranges of temperature, pressure, and chemical makeup humans can survive in. Human physicists necessarily spend all their time in these conditions and think of them as ordinary. They have thoroughly studied everything there is to study about these ordinary conditions, which makes them now boring. Instead physicists study more extreme conditions, most of which would be quickly lethal to humans — anything from the core of stars to the vacuum of space and many, many things in between. Thus, extreme conditions are very dangerous for most organisms. Even for especially resilient organisms, such as tardigrades, there is a point past which they will [https://what-if.xkcd.com/141/ stop being biology and start being physics], in which case their resilience will not save them. Thus, if a physicist is excited about something, it likely exists in circumstances where your own existence—as well as other life—would meet an end. One (partial) exception is particle beams; {{w|Anatoli Bugorski|people can stick their heads in particle beams and survive—but not unscathed.}} Also, physicists used to be excited about (particles produced by) cosmic rays before they had powerful accelerators.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 06:30, 23 August 2022

Physics Safety Tip
In general, avoid exposure to any temperatures, pressures, particle energies, or states of matter that physicists think are neat.
Title text: In general, avoid exposure to any temperatures, pressures, particle energies, or states of matter that physicists think are neat.

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a BOT PHYSICISTS ARE EXCITED ABOUT (STEP AWAY, BUSTER) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

In general, there are very narrow ranges of temperature, pressure, and chemical makeup humans can survive in. Human physicists necessarily spend all their time in these conditions and think of them as ordinary. They have thoroughly studied everything there is to study about these ordinary conditions, which makes them now boring. Instead physicists study more extreme conditions, most of which would be quickly lethal to humans — anything from the core of stars to the vacuum of space and many, many things in between. Thus, extreme conditions are very dangerous for most organisms. Even for especially resilient organisms, such as tardigrades, there is a point past which they will stop being biology and start being physics, in which case their resilience will not save them. Thus, if a physicist is excited about something, it likely exists in circumstances where your own existence—as well as other life—would meet an end. One (partial) exception is particle beams; people can stick their heads in particle beams and survive—but not unscathed. Also, physicists used to be excited about (particles produced by) cosmic rays before they had powerful accelerators.

Transcript

Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.
General Physics Safety Tip:
[The next line of text is shown in gray.]
(From What If 2, xkcd.com/whatif2)
[A flowchart consisting of three rectangular boxes, a diamond box, and three arrows is shown.]
[The first rectangular box, at the top, is the starting point. It says:]
Should I stand near this thing?
[A down-pointing arrow leads to a diamond decision box. Two arrows lead from it, one pointing to the right and labeled "No", the other pointing down and labeled "Yes". The diamond box reads:]
Are physicists excited about it?
[The "No" arrow from the diamond box leads to the following rectangular box:]
Maybe
[The "Yes" arrow from the diamond box leads to the following rectangular box:]
No


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Discussion

To be fair, many physicists are excited about habitable planets. And fluid dynamics, which would include Earth's atmosphere and hydrosphere. A friend's son is a "condensed matter" physicist, meaning he studies ordinary matter. Nitpicking (talk) 02:42, 23 August 2022 (UTC)

Note that standing near a planet is generally deadly. Only safe place is standing ON the (habitable) planet. And while technically fluid dynamics covers everything fluids do, the interesting parts are tornadoes, whirlpools and similar not-entirely-safe things. -- Hkmaly (talk) 00:32, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

When I was an undergraduate, the diamond press was exciting - it creates the pressures near the core of the Earth - being a hydaulic press it was very sensitive to temperature, it was the only air conditioned lab in te building. made it quite popular on summer days. Arachrah (talk) 08:14, 23 August 2022 (UTC)

I had to laugh more from the explanation than from the comic. Kudos! Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 06:36, 23 August 2022 (UTC)

"They have thoroughly studied everything there is to study about these ordinary conditions" is, er, a bold claim.172.70.85.5 09:09, 23 August 2022 (UTC)

For some reason I'm reminded of the Charles M. de Talleyrand quote: "A diplomat who says yes means maybe, a diplomat who says maybe means no, and a diplomat who says no is no diplomat." 172.69.33.175 20:59, 23 August 2022 (UTC)

It's a good idea not to stand next to Honest Joe's Perpetual Motion Machine, or you may have all the energy sucked out of you. 172.69.79.173 09:32, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Point of info: it's pretty hard to not stand near dark matter, a thing which physicists are really excited about. 162.158.162.215 06:32, 25 August 2022 (UTC)