physics

We Almost Lost Detroit

We Almost Lost Detroit is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand We Almost Lost Detroit rather than just read about it. In short: We Almost Lost Detroit, a 1975 Reader's Digest book by John G. Fuller, presents a history of Fermi 1, America's first commercial breeder reactor, with emphasis on the 1966 partial nuclear meltdown.

Key takeaways

We Almost Lost Detroit belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect We Almost Lost Detroit to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of We Almost Lost Detroit from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

We Almost Lost Detroit, a 1975 Reader's Digest book by John G. Fuller, presents a history of Fermi 1, America's first commercial breeder reactor, with emphasis on the 1966 partial nuclear meltdown. It took four years for the reactor to be repaired, and then performance was poor. In 1972, the reactor core was dismantled and the reactor was decommissioned. America's first effort at operating a full-scale breeder had failed.

Reception Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists felt it was "a significant book and it is well worth reading." They felt it explained how the accident happened but not why. Kirkus Reviews called it "the heaviest broadside against the Atomic Energy Commission in years".

Legacy Spoken word and rap pioneer Gil Scott-Heron has a song titled "We Almost Lost Detroit", dealing with the same issue. The song appeared on his 1977 album, Bridges. The song is covered by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. on their album It's a Corporate World. This song was also covered by Ron Holloway on his album, Groove Update, which features Gil Scott-Heron on vocals. Scott-Heron’s song, in turn, provides the reference to the 2020 documentary We Almost Lost Bochum about the hip hop group RAG from Bochum in western Germany.

See also List of books about nuclear issues Nuclear and radiation accidents

References

Further reading Hough, Raymond L. (1975-10-01). "We Almost Lost Detroit (Book Review)". Library Journal. Vol. 100, no. 17. p. 1808. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with We Almost Lost Detroit

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what We Almost Lost Detroit claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to We Almost Lost Detroit before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about We Almost Lost Detroit ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of We Almost Lost Detroit

In research: We Almost Lost Detroit appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses We Almost Lost Detroit in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: We Almost Lost Detroit is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1960s in Detroit, 1975 non-fiction books, 20th-century history books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for We Almost Lost Detroit outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study We Almost Lost Detroit in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what We Almost Lost Detroit means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain We Almost Lost Detroit out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is We Almost Lost Detroit in simple terms?

We Almost Lost Detroit, a 1975 Reader's Digest book by John G. Fuller, presents a history of Fermi 1, America's first commercial breeder reactor, with emphasis on the 1966 partial nuclear meltdown.

Why does We Almost Lost Detroit matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study We Almost Lost Detroit?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on We Almost Lost Detroit.