4 November 2002 - speed of rumor

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Section 2. Experimental Setup.

See figure. As the derogatory rumor front (R) passes at high velocity through the experimental population (P), emitted Cherenkov radiation (C) is collected and collimated by the optical telescope (T) and passed to the Mach-Zender interferometer stage (I), permitting sensitive comparison to the blue streak sworn by the victim.

clue:

You’ve probably seen photos of nuclear reactors covered with water and eerily glowing blue. The blue comes from electrons traveling through the water faster than the speed of light in water—that’s an example of Cherenkov radiation.

take oh take this clue away

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