Bushcronium - geek humor

[arendt]

Political Humor from Physicists
(you got to be a geek to get this, but it is funny)

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A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the densest (!) element yet known to science. The new element has been named "Bushcronium."

Bushcronium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311.

These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. The symbol for Bushcronium is "W".

Bushcronium's mass actually increases over time, as morons randomly interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons in a Bushcronium molecule, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Bushcronium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass".

When catalyzed with money, Bushcronium activates Foxnewsium, an element that radiates orders of magnitude more energy, albeit as incoherent noise, since it has 1/2 as many peons but twice as many morons.

[lizerdbits]

1. Bwaahaa

Oh that's funny. Probably ok for non geeks, I took dummy physics in college (no calculus) because I had to and it makes perfect sense to me.

[arendt]

2. But, did you get;..

peons - in reality, pions

morons - in reality, mesons

arendt

[lizerdbits]

4. Actually no

Microbiology doesn't deal much with pions and mesons. But I think everyone learns about basic atom structure (protons, neutrons, electrons) in elementary/middle school so I figured most people would get it. Still funny even though I apparently don't get the physics.

[MaineYooper]

3. this is a clever rehash

of an old photocopied joke that has been making the rounds in the high-energy physics community for at least twenty years. It was called Administratium, a substance known to impede every reaction it ever encountered.

I first saw it around 1988 or so while I was a grad student in physics at Cornell.

[arendt]

5. Thanks for the archaeology...

all I hear from physicists anymore is how string theory has ruined everything.

arendt