The Riddles Thread

[Timsup2nothin]

Lemme think

Spoiler :

Launch Gamma (because they're friggin' gamma rays)
Pocket Betas - (because they're smaller and therefore have more penetration then alphas)
Hand alphas
Swallow neutrons -(who the hell worries about neutrons? Also they don't have much electromagnetic interaction so they're probably fine)

Spoiler :

Two good...but too bad. No electromagnetic interaction, but colliding with a nucleus will have disastrous effects...the least of which is producing a gamma particle. The absolute worst of the four in the neutron pellet.

 

[Perfection]

Spoiler :

Well swap gamma and nuetron then

 

[Arakhor]

Am I the only one wondering how you're supposed to handle these subatomic particles in the first place?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Am I the only one wondering how you're supposed to handle these subatomic particles in the first place?

They were pellets that emit subatomic particles, so no need to break out the subatomic tweezers.

Perf's got it. Here's the complete reasoning:

Spoiler :

Alpha particles are blocked by just the dead skin cell layer, so you can hold that one in your hand safely, and Beta particles which can burn exposed skin are blocked by cloth so you can pocket that one. The neutron and gamma emitters produce whole body penetrating radiation, so the only thing that makes any difference for either of them is if you get rid of it. Neutron radiation does a lot more damage, so eject the neutron emitter. The gamma emitter does the same damage no matter what, so go ahead and swallow that.

 

[El_Machinae]

Inverse square law means you want the gamma in your hand.

 

[onejayhawk]

Am I the only one wondering how you're supposed to handle these subatomic particles in the first place?

That's a riddle?

Sub-atomic tweezers.

J

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Inverse square law means you want the gamma in your hand.

If you have to eat one, which one are you going to eat? While inverse square law applies, if you move a gamma source from direct contact to internal it isn't going to make a whole lot of difference, while moving an alpha or beta source from an effectively shielded position to internal is going to make a huge difference. Obviously, outside the confines of the question one doesn't eat any of them.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I actually knew the right answer but it's already been guessed.

 

[Borachio]

Riddle:

What am I eating right now?

(Hint: this probably isn't what's considered a "normal" riddle.)

Spoiler :

It's actually some chopped fresh orange and Turkish natural yoghourt.

Spoiler :

Did you guess right?

If yes, award yourself the number of points of your choice and give yourself a "Well done!" from me, please.

If no, then you have my commiserations, and I wish you the very best of luck with your next riddle.

 

[Mise]

I feel like this thread would work better if there was just 1 riddle at a time, and the winner of each riddle got to ask the next riddle (or open floor). At the moment I can't keep track of all these riddles

 

[Phrossack]

I feel like this thread would work better if there was just 1 riddle at a time, and the winner of each riddle got to ask the next riddle (or open floor). At the moment I can't keep track of all these riddles

Yeah, that was the original plan. Have all of them been solved, though?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Yeah, that was the original plan. Have all of them been solved, though?

I think there are currently no outstanding riddles. Mine was the last one, and Perf got it.

 

[El_Machinae]

If you have to eat one, which one are you going to eat? While inverse square law applies, if you move a gamma source from direct contact to internal it isn't going to make a whole lot of difference, while moving an alpha or beta source from an effectively shielded position to internal is going to make a huge difference. Obviously, outside the confines of the question one doesn't eat any of them.

It's going to make an astounding difference if you move it from external to internal! An external gamma is only giving you 50% of its radiation if you hold it in your palm (and your hand is less important than your heart). If you're supposed to hold it clasped in your hand, the net amount of radiation per kg of me will be much lower if it's held in my hand.

Meanwhile, the alpha is going to get mostly blocked by sloughable epithelial cells either way.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

It's going to make an astounding difference if you move it from external to internal! An external gamma is only giving you 50% of its radiation if you hold it in your palm (and your hand is less important than your heart). If you're supposed to hold it clasped in your hand, the net amount of radiation per kg of me will be much lower if it's held in my hand.

Meanwhile, the alpha is going to get mostly blocked by sloughable epithelial cells either way.

Mostly blocked is a lot different than totally blocked when dealing with an alpha emitter. Due to its charge an alpha particle will destroy the chemical bonds in pretty much every molecule that it passes. Basically any live cell that gets hit by an alpha particle can be written off as dead with a high degree of certainty. The cells lining the digestive tract are generally live cells that are active in the digestive process, yes?

The thing with the inverse square law is that if you look at it with pure mathematics you get a function that "goes to infinity" as r approaches zero. OMG!!! Infinite exposure!!! But in reality the exposure is capped at whatever the source emits. Yes, if you swallow the source literally every gamma it emits is going to pass through tissue rather than having a lot of them cleanly miss you. But the gamma emitted inside you only has to travel through you half as far to get out as a gamma emitted outside you has to go to get through. Cutting that distance in half cuts the probability of any individual gamma particle actually doing damage in half. So being exposed to every emission is somewhat offset by reduction in damage probability from each individual particle. Since most gamma particles are going to make a clean pass anyway, and now we have cut the chance that they won't in half, the increase in exposure from catching all of them isn't all that bad. Not enough to compensate for the damage factor from the alpha particles.

 

[Borachio]

Yes. But the digestive tract, as far as I know, has the highest turnover of cells of any part of the body. It may be that inside you is the best place for your alpha particles.

But how much radioactive matter are we talking about here? Isn't the amount fairly critical?

 

[El_Machinae]

Mostly blocked is a lot different than totally blocked when dealing with an alpha emitter. Due to its charge an alpha particle will destroy the chemical bonds in pretty much every molecule that it passes. Basically any live cell that gets hit by an alpha particle can be written off as dead with a high degree of certainty. The cells lining the digestive tract are generally live cells that are active in the digestive process, yes?

There are live cells, yes. But there is also a lot of stuff in there to get in the way (dead cells, mucous, water, etc.).

Alpha has a fairly small 'kill zone', since there's so much stuff that it can hit that it won't really hurt (e.g., cells that are in high-turnover areas, etc.). The gamma, otoh, can be (effectively) rendered half-as-lethal just by getting more of your body far away from it to take advantage of the inverse-square law. It does half as much damage being in your pocket as in your gut, since half its particles radiate into an place where there's no meat to ruin. In your hand is even better.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

It does half as much damage being in your pocket as in your gut, since half its particles radiate into an place where there's no meat to ruin. In your hand is even better.

You blithely ignored that having only half as much tissue to pass through to get out reduces the chance of any damage occurring by fifty percent, so this is a break even. A gamma that passes through cleanly does no damage at all, no matter where it originates. Doubling the number that "hit meat" while simultaneously halving the chance that they will interact with that meat is a net zero.

I agree that in hand is better. It just isn't enough better to eat something that can be rendered totally harmless by holding it in hand that will be killing every live cell it touches throughout the journey in your digestive tract.

 

[Arakhor]

I've long quite liked this riddle:

Round she is, yet flat as a board
Altar of the Lupine Lords.
Jewel on black velvet, pearl in the sea
Unchanged but e'er changing, eternally.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I've long quite liked this riddle:

Round she is, yet flat as a board
Altar of the Lupine Lords.
Jewel on black velvet, pearl in the sea
Unchanged but e'er changing, eternally.

Spoiler :

The moon.

That is a very nice riddle!

 

[Arakhor]

I believe it first appears in an AD&D 2nd Edition boxed adventure from the early or mid '90s.