Overload of positrons joke from Eureka

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers around a physics joke from the show Eureka, specifically in Season 4, Episode 2, titled "A New World." The joke involves an "overload of positrons," which is humorously impossible due to the annihilation that occurs when positrons collide with electrons. Participants note that the show frequently misrepresents scientific concepts, such as the idea of crystalline glass, which contradicts the definitions of crystalline and glass materials. Overall, the humor is derived from the absurdity of the science presented, which is often intentionally exaggerated for entertainment purposes.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic particle physics, specifically positrons and electrons.
  • Knowledge of conservation laws in physics, particularly conservation of electric charge.
  • Familiarity with the concept of annihilation in particle interactions.
  • Awareness of the distinction between crystalline and amorphous materials.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of particle physics, focusing on positron-electron interactions.
  • Study the laws of conservation in physics, especially electric charge conservation.
  • Explore the properties of crystalline versus amorphous materials in materials science.
  • Investigate the portrayal of science in popular media and its impact on public understanding.
USEFUL FOR

Fans of science fiction, educators in physics, and anyone interested in the intersection of entertainment and scientific accuracy will benefit from this discussion.

adimauro
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I was recently re-watching the show Eureka, and in this one episode, S04 E02 - A New World, they make an inside physics joke but never explain it.

Their robot went haywire and analyzed it to see what the problem was.
Fargo [to Jack]: I got the scans back on Tiny, you got to see this, it's hilarious. Look at those gamma signatures. It looks like there was an overload of positrons, I mean [laughing] like that's possible!
Henry: [walks over and laughs with Fargo]
Jack: [starts fake laughing, doesn't get the joke]
Fargo: Sort of a physics joke, because...I'll redo the scans.

Any insight into this joke? Is it because when a positron collides with an electron, annihilation occurs, so it's impossible? Or something else? Is there more to it than just that? Like Jack, I don't quite get the joke either.
 
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I don't see that humor is involved. Most fundamental, perhaps, is the possibiliy that an excess of positrons wouuld violate conservation of electric charge. Incidentally the science in Eureka was often and gratuitously wrong. They didn't even bother.
 
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hutchphd said:
the science in Eureka was often and gratuitously wrong.

Crystalline glass was one of the MacGuffins in an episode. It was some sort of super material. It is either impossible because crystalline and glass are opposites or they had quartz which is neat but not an indestructible substance.

BoB

Edit: I really enjoyed the show and would have liked to see more. I will admit though that the """science""" in scifi here needs as many air quote as possible.
 
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hutchphd said:
I don't see that humor is involved. Most fundamental, perhaps, is the possibiliy that an excess of positrons wouuld violate conservation of electric charge. Incidentally the science in Eureka was often and gratuitously wrong. They didn't even bother.
Yes, the 'science' in Eureka was most definitely often wrong! But I think they actually did it on purpose and made light of it by so often saying 'in theory' or 'theoretically' over and over again. It was entertainment and never meant to be taken too seriously.
 
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adimauro said:
never meant to be taken too seriously.
It was definitely flubber town.

BoB
 
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