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It doesn’t have to melt, you fool.

Mar 31, 2007 Cool Links, In The News

I do believe that it’s the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel. I do believe that it defies physics that World Trade Center tower 7—building 7, which collapsed in on itself—it is impossible for a building to fall the way it fell without explosives being involved. World Trade Center 7. World Trade [Center] 1 and 2 got hit by planes—7, miraculously, the first time in history, steel was melted by fire. It is physically impossible.

– World-renowned physics expert Rosie O’Donnell

Popular Science, whose editors wrote the book Debunking 9/11 Myths, do just that, shooting down Rosie’s televised conspiracy theories about WTC 7. Specifically, in this case, the structural steel didn’t have to melt, just weaken enough to no longer support the weight of the building.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at 2:34 AM and is filed under Cool Links, In The News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
  • kirsten
    I love preaching to the choir!
    The nods of affirmation make you feel so good.
    Second best feeling in the world! :D
  • Yep, though you're preaching to the choir -- I already trusted that that was the case. :)

    -- Pauley
  • kirsten
    Adiabatic burn temperature of Jet-A fuel is around 2,000 degrees C
    more than enough to weaken A572 Grade 50 Plate and Structural Carbon steel to high failure under load...
  • Easy now. Friends don't let friends (not) drink (coffee) and type. :)

    -- Pauley
  • True, but what's happening here is she's telling only partial truth and supposing other random crap to fill in the blanks. The steel probably didn't melt into liquid. The point is, it didn't have to melt into liquid -- it just had to get hot enough to lose strength. From the article:

    Steel melts at about 2,750 degrees Fahrenheit—but it loses strength at temperatures as low as 400 F. When temperatures break 1000 degrees F, steel loses nearly 50 percent of its strength.


    The problem with having an on-staff physicist is that these shows don't exist to be factually accurate, they exist to get ratings and ad revenue. Combine with on-air talent with <a href="http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=11173" title="FrontPage magazine.com :: Bush Derangement Syndrome by Charles Krauthammer" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">BDS and a political agenda, and this is what you get.

    -- Pauley
  • kirsten
    Sorry, sub in "Rosie" for "Oprah" above,
    got my talk show hosts mixed up!
    See, this is what happens when you have jet lag and start keying away in the early AM before that first cup of coffee! (I am away from home and am afraid to use the little hotel supplied in-room coffee maker and pre-processed packets of (yep, you guessed it, Maxwell House coffee! UGH! YUK!) in it.
    I think I will go downstairs to the Hotel AM Buffet and see if I can locate something drinkable!
  • kirsten
    You know,
    This kind of ignorance just amazes me. The problem is that fools like this get airtime and millions believe this S*it!

    I, I personally, have melted STRUCTURAL steel in the labs with fire! (OK, it was in a high Oxygen environment,) but if you get either the temperature high enough (African tribesmen in the veldt were able to do so, many century's ago with nothing more than charcoal and a bellows!) or the oxygen level up, steel will burn and melt like WOOD!

    You know, every (audience participation) show has a panel of lawyers and "continuity" (censors) personnel monitoring everything that goes out over the air, they should also add to the team a PHYSICIST as well to block the junk science from getting out to the public!

    I personally know (have met at conferences etc...) at least half a dozen physicists who would love to work with Oprah and help clean up her act! You think she is even remotely interested? Naaaaaa...
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