This nuclear reactor is run by students

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ค. 2018
  • At Reed College in Portland, Oregon, there's a TRIGA nuclear reactor, used for research. You can stand next to it and watch the blue glow from the bottom of a deep swimming pool. I had to visit.
    More about the reactor and about Reed College: reactor.reed.edu/
    Edited by Michelle Martin / @onthecrux
    Post audio by Emi Paternostro (proximitysound.com)
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ความคิดเห็น • 1.3K

  • @lucystarlight8887
    @lucystarlight8887 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1166

    Operating a nuclear reactor with a fishing rod and a bucket on a string is kind of a perfect metaphor for college

    • @quocvinhnguyen2063
      @quocvinhnguyen2063 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      that's college in a nutshell

    • @MeiinUK
      @MeiinUK ปีที่แล้ว +7

      It's still a nuclear reactor though. Even if it is a smaller scale one. Cos that tiny bit of particle is enough to radiate that much. Now, imagine a real one, just scaled up. Redo your calculations. The principles do not change. That small reactor, may just control like 2gm of the radioactive substance, and it could give off that much light. Imagine how powerful it would be, if the weight is a lot larger ? You can do the maths.

    • @livingglowstick1337
      @livingglowstick1337 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MeiinUK you clearly know nothing about nuclear reactors theres a bigger test reactor you can find on youtube and its basicaly the same set up people litrelly lean over the water to watch the glow

    • @lunarcod7187
      @lunarcod7187 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      ​@@MeiinUK it joke1

    • @peterbruns6124
      @peterbruns6124 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      So is dropping a cell phone into a reactor pool.

  • @NateandNoahTryLife
    @NateandNoahTryLife 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8394

    I’m an undergrad currently, and at my university we have a microwave in our common room we’re allowed to operate. Basically the same thing.

    • @stevenemert837
      @stevenemert837 6 ปีที่แล้ว +118

      I sure hope you aren't serious. Nuclear radiation and electromagnetic radiation are two entirely different things.

    • @qxTorii
      @qxTorii 6 ปีที่แล้ว +684

      whoosh

    • @11donto
      @11donto 6 ปีที่แล้ว +436

      extreme whoosh

    • @beata6752
      @beata6752 6 ปีที่แล้ว +238

      Steven Emert r/whoosh

    • @melvTV
      @melvTV 6 ปีที่แล้ว +187

      Steven Emert r/whoosh

  • @kumaclimber
    @kumaclimber 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3555

    I'm from Portland and this is my favorite way to freak out people who are afraid of nuclear power. "yeah there's a reactor like 3 miles away ran by students at Reed."

    • @RealLuckless
      @RealLuckless 6 ปีที่แล้ว +378

      "There is a reactor near here that is run exclusively by people who couldn't even finish their university degree..."

    • @agilemind6241
      @agilemind6241 6 ปีที่แล้ว +152

      I do the same with the research reactor at my undergrad uni. It was run by the profs though because the computer system hasn't been replaced since it was built in the 70s and they don't want students breaking the vacuum tubes.

    • @louisswanepoel1614
      @louisswanepoel1614 6 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      And it has run for the past 50 years!!

    • @alyandthecats
      @alyandthecats 6 ปีที่แล้ว +92

      My favorite part was in all the recruiting materials I ever got from Reed, they emphasized this rubber duck they always kept on top of the reactor XD

    • @B-rad1
      @B-rad1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      I'm down at OSU and I do the same thing. My old apartment complex was about a quarter of a mile from our reactor, which freaked my family out. I walked by it twice a day on my way to class for 2 years without worry though.

  • @joshuagreen3185
    @joshuagreen3185 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2289

    Haha... from the Wiki article on TRIGA reactors: "The TRIGA was developed to be a reactor that, in the words of Edward Teller, 'could be given to a bunch of high school children to play with without any fear that they would get hurt.'"

    • @jumbodump
      @jumbodump 5 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      wow this sucker's prompt critical?

    • @evanallaire2829
      @evanallaire2829 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Mansaku Nabi boi

    • @awildfilingcabinet6239
      @awildfilingcabinet6239 4 ปีที่แล้ว +68

      That’s quite a bold statement. High schoolers can do unexpected things

    • @acmefixer1
      @acmefixer1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      Being "idiot proof" always finds a worse idiot.

    • @srenkoch6127
      @srenkoch6127 3 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      @@awildfilingcabinet6239 However in this case it is actually valid.
      Apart form draining the pool, practically nothing can go wrong as the TRIGA design has so large a negative thermal reactivity constant that even when (yes when) they go prompt critical, they shutdown passively and only make a 'boing' noise and a few ripples in the pool (but a huge blue glow, you can find several youtube videos showing it).
      During such an experiment, TRIGA reactors have had power outputs as high as 22 GW (although only for a few ms).
      So even if you yank out all the control rods as fast as you can, it will not melt down or even be damaged except if the water in the pool is allowed to evaporate over time (the heat released by the reactor will start to evaporate the water eventually if the cooling system is switched off for too long)

  • @TheBlazingFalcon
    @TheBlazingFalcon 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2083

    “With a umm... fishing rod”

    • @huttj509
      @huttj509 6 ปีที่แล้ว +303

      It's a fission rod.

    • @TheBlazingFalcon
      @TheBlazingFalcon 6 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Myles Adams O M G . Big if true

    • @leerman22
      @leerman22 5 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      It's how Kerbals make their plutonium RTG's.

    • @adamlundyglenn
      @adamlundyglenn 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Whoosh

    • @nousername8162
      @nousername8162 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Very professional for people running a nuclear reactor

  • @TheMan83554
    @TheMan83554 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2162

    "And then we get it out with a (slightest pause) fishing rod" If it's stupid but it works!

    • @willyantowilly7165
      @willyantowilly7165 6 ปีที่แล้ว +94

      TheMan83554 it’s not stupid if it works

    • @derkeksinator17
      @derkeksinator17 6 ปีที่แล้ว +70

      I love the part about retrieving stuff, students dropped in there.

    • @sophiew757
      @sophiew757 6 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      if it's stupid but it works, it's still stupid and you're lucky

    • @muddydave01
      @muddydave01 6 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      Yeah, I sensed embarrassment but want her to know it's a perfect hack, low cost, near ubiquitous replacement available in case of catastrophic failure.

    • @bradlemmond
      @bradlemmond 6 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      I would have probably called it a Test Article Retrieving Rod and then had the camera pan to the fishing rod.

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  6 ปีที่แล้ว +2587

    I had a couple of technical problems with the audio and video on this, but this was such a spectacular thing to see that I didn't want that to stop you from seeing the video. There are, as always, subtitles available!

    • @zappawoman5183
      @zappawoman5183 6 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      Tom Scott Soobtitlays?

    • @shinevisionsv
      @shinevisionsv 6 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Was no problem for me, seemed fine! :D

    • @shinevisionsv
      @shinevisionsv 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Nillie Eh, good enough tho ;)

    • @Tahgtahv
      @Tahgtahv 6 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      I didn't really notice any problems watching it. I think a content producer is always their own worst critic. I got the feeling the students weren't really used to giving tours, though that's not really unexpected.

    • @evanchang4310
      @evanchang4310 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Tom Scott Everyone told me you died of Ligma?!?!?

  • @elespectador1498
    @elespectador1498 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4100

    Tom: A nuclear reactor run by undergrads at a liberal arts college sounds like a...
    Me: The beggining of a great joke.

    • @l33th0b0
      @l33th0b0 5 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      so dose this qualify as Nuke School ??

    • @DarkClarity
      @DarkClarity 4 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      It's okay there's an Asian guy there.

    • @yomanyo327
      @yomanyo327 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      a really really bad idea?

    • @t2hk_
      @t2hk_ 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Could also be the beginninng of a zombie apocalypse. Your call.

    • @zechariah8845
      @zechariah8845 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      to me it sounds like a chernobyl incident

  • @wookidoo
    @wookidoo 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2356

    I think it makes perfect sense to have students operate nuclear reactors. They're not very expensive, and they're sort of disposable.

    • @BeCurieUs
      @BeCurieUs 6 ปีที่แล้ว +249

      Reactors can be safely managed by anyone with proper training. They are really just sophisticated water heaters.

    • @kieranmilner1295
      @kieranmilner1295 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @@SOIBand both

    • @sourishw.5865
      @sourishw.5865 4 ปีที่แล้ว +101

      The students or reactors lmao?

    • @sourishw.5865
      @sourishw.5865 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Ah sorry! Unintentionally rewrote a previously said comment!

    • @kowareta7516
      @kowareta7516 4 ปีที่แล้ว +74

      studensts are absolutely disposable

  • @MagellanLife
    @MagellanLife 4 ปีที่แล้ว +358

    "A nuclear reactor run by undergrads"
    "when someone drops their phone in there"

    • @lukalaa1764
      @lukalaa1764 3 ปีที่แล้ว +56

      Not even if
      Just.. When
      Ah self awareness

    • @owo1744
      @owo1744 ปีที่แล้ว

      Its even worse, they're not just any undergrads, they're liberal arts undergrads.

  • @Kabitu1
    @Kabitu1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1416

    She's talking like someone's definitely dropped their phone in there and it had to be fished out.. I wonder if it was still working when it came out. That would be one hell of an advertisement statement by the manufacturer if it did.

    • @davidbeckers6460
      @davidbeckers6460 6 ปีที่แล้ว +250

      im convinced that my nokia 3310 would have crushed that reactor

    • @xxxdumbwordstupidnumberxxx4844
      @xxxdumbwordstupidnumberxxx4844 6 ปีที่แล้ว +151

      d b The nokia 3310 would crush anything except another nokia 3310, like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

    • @Tom5TomEntertainment
      @Tom5TomEntertainment 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      d b The Nokia would crush the reactor.

    • @Roset595
      @Roset595 6 ปีที่แล้ว +55

      My understanding is that things get dropped in fairly often near the edge of the pool, where the radiation is much less. If they remove the object quickly, no damage is done. I remember that they had a small wrench which had been dropped onto the reactor itself, and had to be kept in a lead box.

    • @pluto8404
      @pluto8404 6 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      Just dont drop a note 7

  • @artstsym
    @artstsym 5 ปีที่แล้ว +533

    Me: Google, show me the pinnacle of misplaced optimism.
    Google: Here's a light switch labeled "Fission/Fusion."
    Me: Perfection.

    • @giists5197
      @giists5197 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      i wonder what happens when you switch it

    • @BierBart12
      @BierBart12 3 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      @@giists5197 The fishing rod comes out

    • @Noah-wx7fm
      @Noah-wx7fm ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@BierBart12it’s just the word “Fishing” misspelled

  • @PedanticAntics
    @PedanticAntics 5 ปีที่แล้ว +129

    Our teacher took us there on a field trip in 9th grade. The "blue" light it makes can't be shown accurately on screens or paper; it's so unlike any light you've seen elsewhere, almost it's own color.

    • @zappababe8577
      @zappababe8577 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I was wondering if you could mix a paint colour called "Cherenkov" and maybe made it luminous for extra effect!

    • @BatCaveOz
      @BatCaveOz ปีที่แล้ว

      My monitor generates 1,073,741,824 distinct colours, and you claim none of them are close?

    • @bartendingcrow6497
      @bartendingcrow6497 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      @@BatCaveOz You'd be surprised what DOESN'T get captured in those

    • @unicodefox
      @unicodefox ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@BatCaveOz ooo look at you with your fancy 10 bit display

    • @theairaccumulator7144
      @theairaccumulator7144 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      ​@@unicodefoxlooking at an awful bitrate 1080p 8 bit video

  • @cringenuclearfan9391
    @cringenuclearfan9391 6 ปีที่แล้ว +804

    The stupid thing is that Reed doesn't have a nuclear engineering program. Some say that the only reason they have the reactor still is because it's too expensive to dispose of.

    • @TheDavidLiou
      @TheDavidLiou 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      how long does those rod last?

    • @666Tomato666
      @666Tomato666 6 ปีที่แล้ว +121

      +Liou David as they said in the video, at the current rate of use, about 100 years left
      nuclear fuel is expensive and hard to manage but it last a really long time

    • @erinaxel8562
      @erinaxel8562 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Some reactors burn through rods in 5 years, others can take up to 30

    • @666Tomato666
      @666Tomato666 6 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      +Samantha Dansjin when utilised close to 100% of the time, yeah, you get "just" few years up to few decades out of them
      meanwhile, in the middle of winter, I need to go put coal into the furnace every hour to keep the house warm

    • @TheMohawkNinja
      @TheMohawkNinja 6 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      Wait what? A university bought a nuclear reactor for the sole purpose of education and doesn't have a degree to match?

  • @wildly3
    @wildly3 6 ปีที่แล้ว +202

    Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation is one of the coolest things you can observe, and I had only ever seen pictures of it. I clicked on the video hoping to see some, and you delivered. Long Live Tom Scott ! :D

    • @bgezal
      @bgezal 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      There are several youtube-videos available if you search for Cherenkov

    • @m2heavyindustries378
      @m2heavyindustries378 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Can happen with minimal radiation

    • @yui907
      @yui907 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Had the pleasure of seeing it in person. It sent shivers up my side.

    • @michaelz.7140
      @michaelz.7140 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@m2heavyindustries378 totally normal phenomenon

  • @mybigbeak
    @mybigbeak 6 ปีที่แล้ว +205

    "If someone drops their phone in, we NORMALLY....." how often does it need to happen befpre someone says. " guys seriously, either keep hold of your phone or don't take it in there."

    • @Attoparsec
      @Attoparsec 6 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      The reactor at WSU I toured had a no phones policy for exactly that reason, and that was 14 years ago!

    • @sultanofsick
      @sultanofsick ปีที่แล้ว +7

      At my school's reactor, there wasn't a no phones policy, there was a "you're going in to get whatever you drop" policy.
      Nothing has ever been dropped into the reactor.

  • @automotivetales
    @automotivetales 3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    The ‘Fusion’ / ‘Fission’ switch.... 🤣🤣🤣 it’s fun to see a little bit of student humour in a reactor hall! You should do a video about ‘the blue glow’ - it’s fascinating!

    • @LordSmuggington
      @LordSmuggington 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Had to look for someone else who noticed this, kudos 👍

  • @claye_l463
    @claye_l463 6 ปีที่แล้ว +394

    Tom scott is a good contender on the "best at being interested in things" contest.

    • @AbigailPoirier
      @AbigailPoirier 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Laura I usually think of him as the winner in that category. Do you know any other contenders on TH-cam? If so, I wanna subscribe to them, too!
      (Edited to fix a grammar error.)

    • @kruks
      @kruks 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      AbigailR84 - Steve Mould would be my choice.

    • @AbigailPoirier
      @AbigailPoirier 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      CruxCapacitor Oh yeah, he's another good one!

    • @lukekelleher7509
      @lukekelleher7509 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@AbigailPoirier smarter every day is awesome too

  • @Ratlee94
    @Ratlee94 6 ปีที่แล้ว +365

    When I was at Uni, we couldn't even run a projector without supervision... Not fair, life! not.fair.

    • @Ratlee94
      @Ratlee94 6 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Nillie No, but why would I need a year of training plus a technical exam to run a projector, tho?

    • @sidharthcs2110
      @sidharthcs2110 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Ratlee94
      In india we are still stuck in chalk age

    • @darkhayou
      @darkhayou 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Ratlee94 you had a projector?! not fair, life! not. fair.

    • @Alex632
      @Alex632 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's not 100% run by students.

    • @artski09
      @artski09 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      at sixth form
      i got to run a lathe and mill without direct supervision
      does that count?

  • @beanhead159
    @beanhead159 6 ปีที่แล้ว +683

    "cutting edge technology" "been here for 50 years"

    • @x_tye_x
      @x_tye_x 6 ปีที่แล้ว +150

      beanhead159 Well, it was cutting edge 50 years ago

    • @benjamingreen4908
      @benjamingreen4908 6 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      I mean it's not like they leave it sitting around and don't do any work on it. I'm sure it has been improved somewhat.

    • @dexter9313
      @dexter9313 6 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Everything was cutting edge at some date !

    • @playc.holder6432
      @playc.holder6432 6 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      beanhead159 advancements in established technologies can be accurately described as cutting edge; ya beanhead

    • @pluto8404
      @pluto8404 6 ปีที่แล้ว +84

      Knives are centuries old technology, yet they are still a cutting edge technology

  • @Cj1mck
    @Cj1mck 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    The microwave at my University was removed because someone accidentally put metal in it and it started a fire.

    • @noesunyoutuber7680
      @noesunyoutuber7680 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      In fairness, you don't have to take several tests and receive training to use a communal microwave.

    • @jamesisaac7684
      @jamesisaac7684 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@noesunyoutuber7680 and also not monitored every second you are in the facility.

  • @NitinChauhan-vh2yk
    @NitinChauhan-vh2yk 6 ปีที่แล้ว +207

    When I was an undergrad, we had a light switch in our room that anyone could access. It's basically the same thing!

    • @Fred_the_1996
      @Fred_the_1996 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      They don't even let us use a microwave

    • @atube2993
      @atube2993 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You know what is basically the same thing? Your comment and the top one

  • @AlKohaiMusic
    @AlKohaiMusic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    All of these students are way cooler than I ever was in college, this is awesome.

  • @esweet100
    @esweet100 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I had the pleasure of working summers at Reed when the reactor was installed and activated. As a student and a model builder, I was paid one summer to build a scale model of what the reactor would look like, used for educating the public about the reactor's function and safety. Thanks for the report which brought back old memories.

  • @hopepalmer5376
    @hopepalmer5376 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    It’s not an actual fishing rod, the end of it has a special attachment that connects to a special tube that we put in the core with samples in it. (We don’t pick up dropped things with it, if that happens we use a bucket on a stick)

  • @OceanBagel
    @OceanBagel 6 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Love the fission/fusion switch! If only it were that simple...

  • @TransMascNurse
    @TransMascNurse 6 ปีที่แล้ว +80

    Wow, it's so weird when my typical life and the internet collide. I'm starting at Reed this fall, have toured the reactor, and will be doing the operator training!

    • @frzstat
      @frzstat 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ella Chadwick That's really cool!

    • @oweny1779
      @oweny1779 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      So how did that reactor thing go?

    • @milindchaturvedi9770
      @milindchaturvedi9770 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      So Did you finally operate it ?

  • @iissacc
    @iissacc 6 ปีที่แล้ว +116

    So radiation is watchmen blue instead of simpsons green?

    • @blindleader42
      @blindleader42 6 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      So... You're saying The Simpsons isn't real?

    • @iissacc
      @iissacc 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      blindleader42 are you insinuating watchmen is?

    • @blindleader42
      @blindleader42 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      MOOD,
      If the radiation is blue, it must be, right?
      I've never read or watched Watchmen.

    • @NotaWalrus1
      @NotaWalrus1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Cherenkov radiation (which is the kind you're seeing here) is blue, at the very least.

    • @HiddenWindshield
      @HiddenWindshield 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Well, at the very least it *looks* blue to humans. It's actually a lot brighter in the UV portion of the spectrum.

  • @Turidus
    @Turidus 6 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    I visited a TRIGA Mark 3 reactor in Main, Germany once. It was very cool, because they can pulse the reactor, which means letting it go super critical on purpose by shooting out one control rod with high pressure air, producing a lot of Cerenkov radiation at once. So i can say of myself that i was standing on a nuclear reactor going super critical at one point in my life.
    The reason you can do it is, because the TRIGA reactors use a zircon matrix for the uranium fuel. Zircon absorbs more neutrons when it heats up, which shuts done any reaction above a certain temperature because the reactor goes sup critical. Only after the zircon has cooled down does the chain reaction starts anew.
    In fact the reset time of the reactor was only 10 minutes. While i was on tour through the reactor hall it got pulsed three times, allowing us to see the radiation directly and indirectly. It really has a special kind of blue color.

    • @baylinkdashyt
      @baylinkdashyt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Oh neat. I knew a lot about reactors, but not this.

  • @Eric_Pham
    @Eric_Pham 6 ปีที่แล้ว +524

    I think MIT also has a student run Nuclear reactor too

    • @TasX
      @TasX 6 ปีที่แล้ว +255

      But that’s cuz it’s MIT. This is some liberal arts college that no one knows about

    • @RingoYote
      @RingoYote 6 ปีที่แล้ว +117

      yeah that's MIT, a lot of MIT Graduates go on to become astronauts or scientists or working for NASA, this is a liberal arts college that is....odd that it has one, but its been there for 5 decades

    • @ABaumstumpf
      @ABaumstumpf 6 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      There are over 200 such reactors.

    • @nanoflower1
      @nanoflower1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      Yes, there are quite a few of these reactors at various technical schools. It isn't that surprising that a school that's training physicists and even nuclear scientists would have a nuclear reactor on hand for the students to practice with. It's that this is liberal arts school that isn't training engineers/physicists/nuclear scientists that makes it having a nuclear reactor (let alone a student run reactor) unusual.

    • @RoTShift
      @RoTShift 6 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      MIT students actually know what they’re doing so they have a real reactor, in comparison the reactor in this video is like a kids toy so the liberal arts kids can’t accidentally ruin Oregon while they’re checking twitter

  • @1ytcommenter
    @1ytcommenter 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Our reactor at the university had a thermal power output of 10w.

  • @jonathanguthrie9368
    @jonathanguthrie9368 6 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I point out that Reed College is hardly the only university with a nuclear reactor. Both of the universities that I attended (the Ohio State University and Iowa State University) had nuclear reactors when I attended them, but I understand that ISU's has been decommissioned and demolished since then.

    • @adamsbja
      @adamsbja 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Only one almost entirely staffed and operated by undergrads though. If I remember right there's one supervisor on staff, the rest are students or recent alums.

  • @briangarrow448
    @briangarrow448 6 ปีที่แล้ว +383

    A very highly rated small liberal arts college located in Portland, Oregon- Reed College has a well deserved reputation for high standards. As a father of multiple young adults to went to university, I remember being very impressed with Reed College when they were deciding on where to apply. Thanks Tom, for showing a positive story about higher education. It is far too fashionable nowdays to attack uni's for political reasons. I will step off my soapbox now. BTW- one notable alumus of Reed College- Steve Jobs.

    • @YT-Observer
      @YT-Observer 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      dr. demento is from reed

    • @mirzaahmed6589
      @mirzaahmed6589 6 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      Jobs didn't graduate, he dropped out of Reed

    • @rap33r100
      @rap33r100 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Heyy, I've seen you comment on secular talk videos

    • @tomewyrmdraconus837
      @tomewyrmdraconus837 6 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Alumni are former members, not necessarily graduates. Though the vast majority of the time people conflate them for some fairly obvious reasons.

    • @BatCaveOz
      @BatCaveOz ปีที่แล้ว

      Weird flex, but OK.

  • @09tclarke
    @09tclarke 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    My chemistry professor used to work there when he was an undergraduate, he recalls being audited once with their paperwork nowhere near up to scratch, since then he has been the biggest stickler for detailing, thanks Dr Hanley

    • @MD-lm3iu
      @MD-lm3iu 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Meaning the paperwork was incomplete or data was falsified?

  • @HelenaOfDetroit
    @HelenaOfDetroit 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I remember going on a field trip as a kid to a research reactor. Still one of the coolest things I saw

  • @OrangeC7
    @OrangeC7 6 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    This is basically one of the coolest reactors ever in multiple ways

    • @TheOwenMajor
      @TheOwenMajor 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      No, it isn't. It is very simple.

    • @OrangeC7
      @OrangeC7 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I didn't say it was complex, only that it was really cool.

    • @TheOwenMajor
      @TheOwenMajor 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah, so whats cool about it? There are dozens exactly like it.
      It's like saying a Honda civic is cool. Sure, but when compared to a R10....

  • @kkgt6591
    @kkgt6591 6 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Some fish needed to be added in that pond

    • @mohammedmahdi4976
      @mohammedmahdi4976 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      They've already got a bigger fish to fry!

  • @supernenechi
    @supernenechi ปีที่แล้ว +3

    It's important to note that even though it's called "liberal arts" that actually often includes all of the natural sciences and stuff like that. It's named to contrast against "fine arts". I'll be worried when fine arts students run a nuclear reactor xD

  • @SticksTheFox
    @SticksTheFox 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing and interesting as ever Tom! Thanks for giving us all a little bit more knowledge about the world we live in!

  • @MarkStillPlays
    @MarkStillPlays ปีที่แล้ว +2

    this is fr how okuu (utsuho) from touhou turned into a living nuclear reactor more powerful than the sun

  • @avoqado89
    @avoqado89 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Wow lived there a while & never knew they had one! When I went to OSU in Corvallis, I visited the reactor there. I remember the crazy angled hallways designed to keep any radiation back into the building.

  • @AnonymousFreakYT
    @AnonymousFreakYT 6 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Saw the title, immediately though "I wonder if he's in my town?" Yes, yes he is! Hey, Tom, if you're still in Portland, I'll buy you a beverage of your choice.

  • @robertb6889
    @robertb6889 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Purdue University also has a research reactor you can see. When I got a tour, it was actually shut down for maintenance, but students can get tours even while it's running.

  • @KarldorisLambley
    @KarldorisLambley 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    i wish i had one to play with. that negative temp coefficient makes them utterly foolproof.

  • @sullyman72
    @sullyman72 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Tom, you should have mentioned the (slightly) interesting story behind the acronym SCRAM.

  • @RebekahSolWest
    @RebekahSolWest 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    As soon as I read the thumbnail I knew it was Reed. I wasn’t involved in the reactor when I was a student there ~10 years ago, but some of my classmates were. Reed is a great school. Top-notch professors, and everyone is passionate about learning.

  • @johanengelen8979
    @johanengelen8979 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    In my Alma Mater there is also one. The only problem is that the psychology department did an experiment with cockroaches. Some of them escaped. Now the easiest way to find a cockroach in that building is using a Geiger counter

  • @tomwhipp3245
    @tomwhipp3245 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I loved that fission, fusion switch. Gold!

  • @iriscandy6377
    @iriscandy6377 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    "get it out **contemplates her entire life and existence** a fishing rod."

  • @zapfanzapfan
    @zapfanzapfan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I really enjoyed the fission-fusion switch. Maybe we should install those at some of our power reactors :-)

  • @jcdenton616
    @jcdenton616 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    That's absolutley incredible and inspiring!

  • @charleskuhn382
    @charleskuhn382 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks for the subtitles!

  • @ChrissyThePoo
    @ChrissyThePoo 6 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    It's things like this that make me miss physics changing to an engineering discipline was possibly the biggest regret of my academic career.

    • @BeCurieUs
      @BeCurieUs 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      I went back to school in my mid 30s for nuclear engineering. Never to late if you really want it! Well, unless life gets in the way.

    • @TasX
      @TasX 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That might be smart though. Engineers have more stable and higher paying jobs than physicists generally. Plus, u can always go into nuclear engineering

    • @muddydave01
      @muddydave01 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      I started out in Engineering, changed to Ecology. Now I make maps. Doesn't seem fair.

  • @simvalue
    @simvalue 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    My university, the technical university of Vienna, has a research reactor too, and I've gotten to tour it! They actually just dump the warm water it generates into the Danube, which created a spot lots of fish like to hangout. Oh and it's the only nuclear reactor in operation in Austria

  • @richb313
    @richb313 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great job Tom and really, really cool.

  • @jb1996BLOP
    @jb1996BLOP ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Toured this during my sophomore year, fantastic tour and cool facility. We got to go up quite one to the edge of the pool.

  • @TehVulpez
    @TehVulpez 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Yay TRIGA! There's one at the university where I live, they do tours for elementary students and drop hairdryers in it.

  • @Superfluous.
    @Superfluous. 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    "In today's class, we're running an experiment on the nuclear reactor we have in our backyard. Kids, be on your best behavior."
    ".......................................... what?"

  • @HippoDrones
    @HippoDrones 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Awesome stuff, being an ex submariner from the RN I used to sleep next to a nuclear reactor and several nuclear missiles, that was quite a weird environment! :D

  • @probablyaparent
    @probablyaparent 6 ปีที่แล้ว +373

    Holy crap this was interesting, Tom. Can you point me to a video that can elaborate on that "visual sonicboom" effect?

    • @doublej1076
      @doublej1076 6 ปีที่แล้ว +231

      I don't have a video for you, but the blue light is from particles that are traveling close to the (vacuum) speed of light entering a medium where light can't travel as fast, like water. Since they're now traveling faster than the (in-medium) speed of light, they have to slow down and lose energy. They do that by giving off light, which is the glow you see when the lights are turned off.

    • @1997CWR
      @1997CWR 6 ปีที่แล้ว +79

      If you search for Cherenkov radiation you should find some great explanations for it. The effect is caused by electrons that are released by the fission reaction and are traveling faster than the speed of light in water(which is only 3/4 the speed of light in a vacuum).

    • @probablyaparent
      @probablyaparent 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      1997CWR thanks!

    • @probablyaparent
      @probablyaparent 6 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      doublej1076 awesome explanation. I appreciate you taking the time to elaborate on it for me. Thank you!

    • @guy_th18
      @guy_th18 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      So, that means those particles do travel faster than the speed of light, even if for a moment?

  • @theendofit
    @theendofit 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Fission fusion switch is on point

  • @hebl47
    @hebl47 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    We got some of those in EU as well. I visited one and I can confirm it's one of the most memorable experiences in my life. Especially witnessing Cherenkov radiation.
    (Also: I can't believe I experienced something before Tom did! :O )

  • @cr4shmycar118
    @cr4shmycar118 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    University of Wisconsin-Madison here in Wisconsin has a reactor similar to this one. It's super cool.

  • @iancook2921
    @iancook2921 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I live in Portland Oregon and I've toured this reactor a few years ago it's extremely cool and definitely worth a look if you ever get the chance.

  • @IbakonFerba
    @IbakonFerba 6 ปีที่แล้ว +92

    I never knew that nuclear reactors are actually glowing :o that is really intriguing, now I want to know more about it!

    • @NotaWalrus1
      @NotaWalrus1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +70

      That is called Cherenkov radiation, it's not radioactive, as you might think from the name, it's just light. The way it works is analogous to a sonic boom. It occurs when particles move faster than light in the water, now you might read that and see an obvious problem, but remember that light slows down when it goes through a medium, in case of water it goes at around 75% of the speed of light, so particles in the water can go faster than that. When that happens, it creates an electromagnetic wavefront than forms an expanding cone of very bright, high-frequency light. The really high-frequency stuff that is harmful gets absorbed handily by the water and what you're left with is blue light.

    • @IbakonFerba
      @IbakonFerba 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      NotaWalrus That is really cool, now that you explained it I think I remember having heard about it quite some time ago, but my memory of it is really fuzzy, so thank you :D

    • @AnonymousFreakYT
      @AnonymousFreakYT 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Yep, and it was predicted as a byproduct of Relativity before it was ever seen.

    • @tomewyrmdraconus837
      @tomewyrmdraconus837 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Note that the Cherenkov radiation doesn't produce only blue light, that's just the interaction between the frequencies that are absorbed by the water and those the human eye is most sensitive to There's a lot more ultraviolet and violet light than blue, but our eyes don't detect purple as well as blue, and because Cherenkov radiation emits light in a smooth distribution across the frequencies, our eyes see the blue better.

  • @stiimuli
    @stiimuli 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    So that's where the next young adult superhero will be born.

  • @Treviisolion
    @Treviisolion 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    In high school my class went on trips to visit the local college's (ISU) nuclear reactor several times.

  • @Kummahndough
    @Kummahndough 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    That's really interesting to have this sort of thing.

  • @SECONDQUEST
    @SECONDQUEST 6 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    I live in Portland, not far from Reed. I wish I would have gotten to meet Tom haha

    • @ilexdiapason
      @ilexdiapason 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      SECONDQUEST this was me when he talked about the kilogram they have at NPL

    • @Seirin-Blu
      @Seirin-Blu 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      New too

  • @anda3487
    @anda3487 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Uni mainz (germany) has something fairly similar, really cool

  • @TheMilanMovies
    @TheMilanMovies 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    That glow looks amazing, if I worked there I would have turned of the lights every time I go in there just to see that glow. It’s stunning

  • @thec4fourhundred520
    @thec4fourhundred520 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    There was a similar reactor like this in Columbia Missouri, ran by the University. I don't know if it's still there, but I remember looking down into the pool and that is a very unique blue that is hard to compare.

  • @xXZHeatWaveZXx
    @xXZHeatWaveZXx 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I'm screaming. What are the chances that Tom does a video on the tiny college I'm starting at next year?

    • @AMalas
      @AMalas 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      How's it been :)

  • @WSleeman
    @WSleeman 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Sees reactor glow: “Is that Cherenkov radiation? It’s basically a sonic boom for light instead of sound.” Three minutes later, Tom chimes in. I feel such great satisfaction right now.

  • @KateGowers
    @KateGowers ปีที่แล้ว

    I went to Reed (a long time ago) - I knew the reactor was there...but never saw it, sadly. Thank you!

  • @elton1981
    @elton1981 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    There was a small nuclear pile near where I live. It was used by Shell Research to test the effects of radiation on lubrication oils.

  • @rashkavar
    @rashkavar 6 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Cherenkov radiation is caused by particles going faster than the speed of light in the medium that they're traveling through. How is a much more complex question that I am equally unqualified to answer, but the wikipedia article on it is fairly detailed (but not guaranteed to be accurate, of course)
    Anyone reading that "Faster than the speed of light" thing and getting confused, remember light is slower than c - the speed of light in a vacuum - when in other media. Air slows it down a bit. Water slows it down quite a lot. If the reactor were in a vacuum and not in the bottom of a pool, it wouldn't be glowing blue. And yeah, Einstein's speed limit holds; we've yet to find anything going faster than c (with the possible exception of information transmitted from one quantum entangled particle to its partner)

    • @TasX
      @TasX 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      I've always wondered if light actually doesn't slow down, but bounces around and gets absorbed/reemitted in denser mediums, causing it to be "slower." too lazy to look up tho

    • @rashkavar
      @rashkavar 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      That seems like a logical explanation from a particle perspective. I have to admit, the whole wave/particle duality thing that light does throws me; I don't expect light to do anything logical at that level. Give me a nice optics diagram and leave me to my nice, normal, macro life :P

    • @muddydave01
      @muddydave01 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      You mean all those sci fi shows with glowing blue auras around a toroidal core got it wrong? I'm going to have to totally reconsider my whole life now.

    • @goneutt
      @goneutt 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      The speed of light varies for different mediums. The particles being thrown off by the reactor are flung at full C, but then they get bounced around by interfering matter.

    • @craftsmanwoodturner
      @craftsmanwoodturner 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      As pointed out by Terry Pratchett, monarchy travels faster than c - no matter where the successor is on the globe, they become king or queen instantaneously upon the death of the current incumbent. This actually happened with Queen Elizabeth II, who was on safari in Africa when her father died in the UK.

  • @SvenLeuschner1
    @SvenLeuschner1 6 ปีที่แล้ว +93

    AND THEY USE WINDOWS VISTA 😱

    • @AlphaCore_
      @AlphaCore_ 6 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Looks like Windows 7 to me.
      And, hopefully, it's not connected to anything outside, so I doubt it'll be a problem.

    • @yourick1953
      @yourick1953 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      AlphaCore why do you think windows 7 is that unsafe

    • @richardgerefanaccount4520
      @richardgerefanaccount4520 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Memer_Rick because old windows versions have know exploits that have yet to be fixed.

    • @ThetaReactor
      @ThetaReactor 6 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Windows 7 Extended Support lasts until 2020. It's still getting security updates.

    • @Regolith86
      @Regolith86 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It's definitely Windows 7; Vista had a taskbar that looked more like XP, and the round start menu button stuck up out of the taskbar a bit. And as ThetaReactor noted, Windows 7 will be supported for a few more years.

  • @CarlosAM1
    @CarlosAM1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    4:02 lmao I chuckled at that light switch

  • @jamesburton1050
    @jamesburton1050 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love Mitzi's enthusiasm!!

  • @traplover6357
    @traplover6357 6 ปีที่แล้ว +51

    Feels like subtitles lag midway behind the audio but idk if just me.

    • @TomScottGo
      @TomScottGo  6 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Just fixed that: looks like I uploaded an old version of the subtitle file by mistake.

  • @justice_w6
    @justice_w6 6 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    There is Braille on the SCRAM 'button'!! Do they have any visually impaired staff, or is it purely for the sake of accessibility?

    • @41-Haiku
      @41-Haiku 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      It's more than likely that it was built and installed with accessibility in mind, since it's possible that in the next hundred and fifty years or so they might have visually impaired staff.

    • @justice_w6
      @justice_w6 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Haiku Metzger I don't disagree, but it seems like it was an afterthought. It looks like it was stuck to it rather than being there to begin with. I see what youre saying tho.

    • @justice_w6
      @justice_w6 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nillie true.

    • @Spookieham
      @Spookieham 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Also the Braille would help you find if due to an accident or smoke you lost your vision in an emergency.

  • @AntoinevsScience
    @AntoinevsScience 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    We have one too in our university but I think it's generalised to all big uni !

  • @lightningstar-ng9tm
    @lightningstar-ng9tm 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I live a couple blocks away from Reed. I've seen the reactor in action and it's cool that you went there!

    • @stenmoyers4387
      @stenmoyers4387 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ya when I was younger I took a school trip there. Super cool!

  • @BeCurieUs
    @BeCurieUs 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is what is known as a pool reactor. They are awesome, very safe. No pumps to worry about or pipe breaks or anything that many middle aged powered reactors have to worry about. The fuel rods are also a metalic/uranium mix which means the conduct heat very well and the reactor itself is very volumentrically small, so the heat density is not all the great. This means even if all the water leaked out, the fuel rods can cool themselves in the air. Normal ceramic fuel rods will continue to heat even after a reactor shut down to the point they melt down because they have more heat in them because ceramic is a poor conductor of heat. The outside of the fuel rod might be 300c while the internal heat is something like 2300c.
    This is why a reactor like this is totally safe to be near populations and run by relatively novice reactor operators. It is a great place to cut your teeth and get ready for the big time reactors! Even then, we are developing new reactors with different materials or designs to make powered reactors as safe as these ones. But we need to keep doing the research which these days is harder money to come by.

  • @pratikshrestha4712
    @pratikshrestha4712 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    so..... there is still no graphite on the ground

  • @computerfan1079
    @computerfan1079 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very food and interesting content that always surprises. Keep it up.

  • @ExcelsiorVFX-mc
    @ExcelsiorVFX-mc 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Penn State has a student run reactor as well, and it is the oldest still active nuclear reactor in the world.

  • @alexclark5325
    @alexclark5325 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    “Liberal Arts College” is a quite misleading term, most LACs do have math, science, computing degree programs(but no engineering). LACs’ defining characteristics are teaching and undergrad focus and have strong art, humanities and social science programs.

    • @reluctantcrusader8455
      @reluctantcrusader8455 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@therealist3495 Your comparison is a bit ridiculous. It's more ridiculous than saying teaching economics indoctrinates students to love capitalism.

  • @Nockturnal
    @Nockturnal 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Mitzi Zitler, what an epic name!

  • @Aguvika
    @Aguvika 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is the most underrated channel on TH-cam. He should have 10M subs by now

  • @KhAnubis
    @KhAnubis 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Damn, had I only known you were in Portland...

  • @gerardhogan8122
    @gerardhogan8122 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Was it a good idea to have a reactor in an arts college : Whenever someone drops a phone in we fish it out with a bucket

    • @NotaWalrus1
      @NotaWalrus1 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      The water is quite deep so the phone will probably get damaged, but for a short time the irradiation shouldn't be a problem.

    • @gerardhogan8122
      @gerardhogan8122 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nah I'm just takin the piss out off the blase attitude they had

    • @zeroone8800
      @zeroone8800 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      The phone could damage the reactor, so it must come out.

    • @gerardhogan8122
      @gerardhogan8122 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Zero One my point was they casually drop phones in ffs

  • @cesariojpn
    @cesariojpn 6 ปีที่แล้ว +90

    Next Fallout game location after 76.

    • @Sharklops
      @Sharklops 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Fallout: Nuke U

    • @Klblaz
      @Klblaz 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      They said it isn't big enough for a meltdown to happen.

    • @RubbelDieKatzNr1
      @RubbelDieKatzNr1 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Get your deathclaws ready, boys and girls.

    • @RingoYote
      @RingoYote 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      it's a small reactor, it doesn't even produce electricity to run more than a few appliances, I highly doubt it would do much more than fizzle in a melt down situation, it's not that big, it's just to teach these kids how reactors work and how to operate them,

    • @TehVulpez
      @TehVulpez 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      the way TRIGA reactors are built, they literally just cannot meltdown. that's just not physically something it's able to do

  • @LiveeviL6969
    @LiveeviL6969 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I laughed at the switch, that was classic!

  • @orioncprogramming709
    @orioncprogramming709 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice! I am in High school and have decided to pursue Nuclear Engineering. I live in Oregon so this is so crazy!

  • @DANKKrish
    @DANKKrish 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    So they are not undergraduates anymore?

  • @patchoulicolt7093
    @patchoulicolt7093 6 ปีที่แล้ว +73

    YES! This is the content! Nuclear is life!

    • @schregen
      @schregen 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Patchouli Colt Chernobyl is a LIE! Storing nuclear waste indefinitely is no problem AT ALL! Big Solar is one of the biggest threats of America! ☢️☢️☢️

    • @Julio974
      @Julio974 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Patchouli Colt …until you swim in it 😅

    • @yungboy4216
      @yungboy4216 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      John Smith nice propaganda m8

    • @BeCurieUs
      @BeCurieUs 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Im all for nuclear, but big solar is fine as well.

    • @Alex632
      @Alex632 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      John Smith don't worry, I knew you were joking 😗

  • @frankiebooks
    @frankiebooks 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Up here in canada we have a reactor thats a little bigger at McMaster University in Ontario. Its a 5MW reactor but also a pool type reactor and is used as a research reactor. As well as also producing isotopes for sale likeiodine-125 and molybdenum-99. Really cool stuff even if the arts kids on campus freak out about it when they know we have a reactor.

  • @bratwizard
    @bratwizard 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very cool. This is one of your better videos!!