Swede Arrested For Atom Smashing at Home

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses the arrest of a Swedish man for attempting to conduct nuclear experiments at home, exploring the implications of such actions, public perception, and comparisons to similar cases. The scope includes conceptual discussions about safety, legality, and the nature of amateur scientific experimentation.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern about the legality and safety of conducting nuclear experiments at home, with one noting that they would prioritize safety over legality.
  • There is a reference to a similar case involving an American boy, suggesting a pattern of amateur nuclear experimentation.
  • One participant questions the existence of other undiscovered individuals attempting similar experiments, linking it to broader societal trends of individualism and free information access.
  • A technical analysis is provided regarding the methods used by the Swedish man, suggesting that the experiments did not resemble a chain reaction and were less dangerous than many chemistry experiments, although still hazardous.
  • Participants express curiosity about the specifics of the experiments attempted by the arrested individual, with requests for links to his blog.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the safety and legality of the actions taken by the Swedish man. There are differing views on the potential dangers of his experiments and the implications of amateur nuclear experimentation.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the nature of the experiments and their risks depend on specific definitions and assumptions about nuclear fission and safety protocols, which are not fully explored in the discussion.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SWEDEN_NUCLEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-03-11-33-45

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.
 
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At least he had the flash to wonder if it might be illegal (i would have first wondered if what I was doing was safe, though).
 
The Register has an article including a photo of his 'reactor'.

Incredible.

Article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/02/diy_swedish_nuclear_reactor/"

The photo of the 'reactor'
swedish_reactor.jpg

source: Helsingborgs Dagblad
 
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He tried for the Nobel Prize but got the Darwin Award!
 
How many more undiscovered ones are out there?
 
skeptic2 said:
How many more undiscovered ones are out there?

One would like to hope that solitary mad scientists would be few. But in this age of individualism, democracy, free-enterprise and free information from the internet, one must probably expect more.

PS: Congratulations on your 1000th post, skeptic2!

Respectfully submitted,
Steve
 
Thanks, I hadn't even noticed!
 
Anyone know the link to this guy's blog? It would be interesting to see what type of experiments he was trying to do.
 
  • #10
Sheets said:
Anyone know the link to this guy's blog? It would be interesting to see what type of experiments he was trying to do.

http://http://richardsreactor.blogspot.com/
 
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  • #11
Radium to emit alphas, beryllium hit by alphas to produce neutrons, americium absorbing neutrons to split.

So: nothing resembling a chain reaction. It's provoked fission, as physicists did nearly a century ago.

Mixing all metals in hot sulphuric acid may have produced a hydrogen explosion, but they were more probably ceramics, and not even the glass is broken. More of a concern, the incident can have dispersed radioactive material - chips, not fumes. It must be similar to a fire in a store selling smoke detectors.

To my eyes, a game hazardous within a very limited range, with consequences essentially for the experimenter, less dangerous than many chemistry experiments - and made without the necessary precautions, I'd say. The hype comes only from the words "nuclear" and "fission", which impacted police, media and the public.