This is beautiful.
In his first “What If?” book, Munroe answers a reader’s question of what would happen if one actually built a periodic table out of cubes of each element. He notes that the gases would of course just rise up & disperse. Here’s a quote:
- You could stack the top two rows without much trouble
- The third row would burn you with fire
- The fourth row would kill you with toxic smoke
- The fifth row would do all that stuff PLUS give you a mild dose of radiation
- The sixth row would explode violently, destroying the building in a cloud of radioactive, poisonous fire and dust
- Do not build the seventh row
For what it’s worth, recent data from JWST may have brought those measurements closer together. It’s not enough to say that the great cosmological crisis is solved, but it brings a solution a lot closer!
I presume that after the sixth row debacle no one would be around to tackle the seventh row.
I’m glad that this isn’t who is writing my finals:
Sometimes my geometry class gets offered the extra-credit (or automatic ‘A’) challenge of “Sketch a concave triangle.” (of the planar sort, of course.)
Or if students have a lengthy true-false section of a test, I’m always tempted to offer them full-credit if they can deliberately answer all the true-false with wrong answers. A pointless - and dangerous - challenge to attempt.
My sister, when she was a teacher before turning engineer, gave quizzes where one T/F question had no correct answer; it was worth extra points if the student could write a correct option and select it.
When I was teaching, I regularly felt like I was doing crytography for the CIA.
Try reading ancient Hebrew hurriedly scrawled on broken pieces of pottery by military commanders watching an overwhelming enemy army deploying around his watchtower.
Rather not, thanks! ; )
The only connection I can think of is scientists and theologians seem well represented by introverts.
Rather chat and eat tacos with you and Lia!
I always used to think there was something wrong with me, that I dreaded all parties–till I ran into other introverts!
Given that Knox goes with me everywhere as my service dog in training I have an unfailing way to escape: just say he needs to go out!
Though with my luck, half the extroverts would follow . . . .
When you get out this way let me know.
