Does Fallout's 'Rule of Thumb' Work?

Is #fallout 's famous Vault Boy actually hiding some accurate nuclear blast survival tactics? Is your thumb a vital piece of equipment in the event of nuclear war? Can it be used as a legitimate way to know if you’ll survive? Noted Nuclear Zaddy Kyle Hill determines whether or not an iconic Fallout image is fact or internet fiction.

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[kylehill]

*Thanks for watching!* What else in the show should we science?

[stephenmacartney]

If I'm ever in a position to ask myself "Am I too close to that nuclear explosion?" I'm gonna just straight up go with "yes"

[guy]

"My thumb or your thumb?!" is a gut punch line coming from a kid to their parent.

[jeffystevens]

It must be so ominous being just far enough that it gets uncomfortably warm

[coastaltransplant]

The dark humor is my favorite part… everyone giving the nuke a thumbs up on their way out is hilarious

[samgordon]

I am just going to presume all nuclear explosions are labeled, "if you can read this, you're too close." You get pretty much the same result.

[matthewparker]

I love that Kyle is so dedicated to realism that he nuked an entire city just to test a theory

[elarialialesleimmanis]

The fact it doesn't work makes it that much more believable for Vault-Tec.

[strange]

I always thought of it as a psychological trick to calm people's nerves. Give them something to do and a vague sense of control of the situation.

[repapeti]

I'd just hide in a lead-lined fridge but I guess I'm just built different.

[Chokah]

I figured the thumb thing went alongside "Duck and Cover". Something to make people kind of feel safer before they end up as shadows on the concrete.

[DoctorPhobos]

I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB in the late 80s. Our "rule of thumb" at base weather was in the case of nuclear attack was to put the lawn chairs out on the flight line, break out the beer, and get a million degree tan.

[-Atme]

Even if I’m perfectly safe, I’m still sprinting in the other direction

[nilssjoberg]

I think the "rule of thumb" follows the mantra of "better safe than sorry". If you can be closer, its not the worst thing to be farther

[cvabuck]

In Navy CBRN training, we were specifically told that the rule was for downwind fallout - and that reduced fallout doesn't mean no fallout. The rule was a guide in that inside the downwind fallout track, you had roughly 15 to 20 minutes to secure shelter and prepare to bunker in for two weeks while letting the bulk of the short-lived fission products decay.

[queenannsrevenge]

“Just like Preston Garvey… don’t need it, don’t want it”

Ouch! Preston felt that all the way in Concord

[jasdanvm]

2:14
Thing is, I'm pretty sure that according to Fallout's lore, the bombs that fell during the Great War were particularly designed to favor radioactive Fallout instead of a potent blast.
So maybe on that context, the rule of thumb could hold more ground when it comes to surviving the scattered fallout.

[DoubleKK]

"As far as I see, there is a settlement that needs help with your Physics lecture. Here, I'll mark it on your map"

[Big_Tony_Speaks]

According to everything I heard here, if I am far enough away from a nuclear detonation that my outstretched thumb covers the mushroom cloud, I am most definitely a safe distance away. The question wasn't "will your thumb cover the mushroom cloud at the minimum safe distance from ground zero?" It was "if my thumb covers the mushroom cloud am I at a safe distance from ground zero?" He determined in this video that, at the minimum safe distance, your thumb would not cover the mushroom cloud. However, the farther you are from something, the smaller it appears. Therefore, if I am not at minimum safe distance, but I am far enough away that my thumb actually covers the mushroom cloud, then I am most definitely far enough away to be considered safe. This doesn't take into account windborn radioactive particles, etc. This only accounts for direct and immediate effects of the detonation itself. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk, I will not be taking questions.

**EDIT : Thank you all for the (at the current moment) 1.2k likes ! I really appreciate them, and you all.**

[elcar]

"This trick might save your life"

What the hell am I gonna do, run?