this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2024
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[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 months ago (2 children)

But what volume would it be? Is it a small amount of glitter or a lot? What's the g/cm³ of glitter? What about tiny bits of uranium? I feel like all the little bits of air between the glitter particles would lower the density compared with just a solid block of uranium which would increase the volume but....

I feel like someone should put some numbers in this thread.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I could but I'm too tired. Here is a picture of bulk glitter instead. Good luck finding listings for kilograms of uranium.

Obligatory mention: industry leader Glitterex has a customer that buys significantly more than anyone else, and they refuse to spill the beans. Internet folk have been searching for the answer for years with little luck. If you live in the Jersey City metro area and have torture equipment, you might solve a great conspiracy theory. /s

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I’m still convinced that it’s a paint company or the military.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That does make the most sense but modern radars should be able to distinguish aircraft from glitter, which moves at wind speed.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

It doesn’t necessarily have to be for the purpose of creating chaff, though that’s also where I first went. It could be something odd like anti-laser measures or a means of making air shows flashier. I’ve no clue, really. Black op glitter procurement is just the funniest option.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 months ago

But uranium is 'eavier.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Since its critical mass is 52kg, a 100kg of uranium-235 would make a mushroom cloud the moment you put it all in one bag.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

I like where your head is at, but that's not how criticality works.

It'd definitely be deadly, but wouldn't mushroom cloud.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Good point. Just read more about it and it seems to require certain conditions to trigger a fission reaction the way I described it. E.g temperature, pressure, shape of the payload.

Still, while these variables are uncertain, I wouldn’t rule it out.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

This. The Demon Core experiments did not cause full on explosions. Just massive lethal doses of radiation.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Happens to the best of us...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

We're they thinking that you'd have to alter the shape/size of individual glitter (glits?) to account for the density of uranium? Is that even a thing you'd need to do?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Killowgrrram

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

I don’t get it

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I mean, it doesn't weigh 100 kg. That's a measurement of mass, not weight. We often discuss our weight using kilograms with the assumption that we're talking about it at sea level, but the weight would be different at different altitudes. It may be pretty negligible though, I suppose.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

True, but in general language, weight does often refer to mass.