Normal clues, but all 3 and 4 letter entries require amendment before entry. Two names to find (in 22 letters in the same position in 5/6/ letter clues) and finally a thematic replacement in a numbered cell. All will make sense as the grid fills – it usually does.
There is always the time it doesn’t but this one was right up my street.
What was happening with the 3 and 4 letter grid entries was that an N was replaced with a P and an E disappeared from the clued answer. The letters chosen gave me a clue as to what this was all about protons, neutrons and electrons being the larger constituents of atoms.
At a high level, beta decay involves a neutron decaying into a proton with the emission of an electron, which is figuratively shown in the 3 and 4 letter entries by removing the e and changing the n of the clued answer to a p.
The next stop was the title – dating and radioactivity immediately implied Carbon and as such this explained the final stages of the crossword. The two names being SAMUEL RUBEN and MARTIN KAMEN, all of whose letters are contained in the 14th letters of the 5, 6 and 7 character answers that reads RAN MAIN BULK MEASUREMENT. The two people involved in defining Carbon dating see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-14
i.e. Carbon–14 decays into nitrogen-14 through beta decay. Replace the C of Cookies in numbered cell 14 with N for NOOKIES indicating the atomic changes involved.
Many thanks Ifor – I do miss physics and this was a reminder of the amusement the subject can bring. A lovely application of a physical change to a crossword.
Key: * anagram; DD double definition; Rev. Reverse; underline – definition; Bold letter is 14th of clue
ACROSS
1 See preamble (6,5)
SAMUEL RUBEN
R 9 Life force restraining judge in direct understanding of the truth of religion (6)
Prana (life force) around j (judge) = PRAJNA
A 10 I’m joyful when carolling as part of orchestral arrangement (5)
Hidden orchesTRAL Arrangement = TRALA
N 11 Jail shifting one to the front in name, rank and number (6)
n (name) + tier(rank) + n (number) – moving i to front = INTERN
M 12 Replicating nominal value, returned acclamation with thanks (5, two words)
Rev. rap (acclamation) + ta (thanks) = AT PAR
13 Cow that’s gone without water (3)
DD NEAT = PAT
A 14 Web link downloads will do, overwriting page in copies (7)
ok (will do) replacing p (page) in Copies = COOKIES
17 Stick garlands round boat (4)
cane (stick) around o (round) = CANOE = CAPO
I 19 Scots loth to maintain unbridled hate for leisurewear (7)
at (unbridled hate) in sweer (Scots loth) = SWEATER
N 22 They are first in prizes, maybe (7)
DD OPENERS (prizes an alternative spelling of prises)
25 Got up in alarm, seeing gentleman’s return (4)
siren (alarm) reversing sir = RISEN = RISP
B 28 Nonreactive tablet put back, by the way (7)
PLACEBO
29 Ditch in Wellington, taking special order from ground (3)
reason(ground) – so (special order) = REAN = RAP
U 30 Roman impromptu’s at most painful without following new reforms (5, two words)
(painful – f – n)* = AL PIU
L 32 Sardonic articles rejected, to some extent better on track here in Washington (6)
Rev. hidden sardONIC ARticles = RACINO
K 33 Flag in Greenock turned back English nationalists (5)
Rev. e (English) + Nats (natioalists) = STANE
M 34 Heart of maximum desire endlessly fluctuating, like the colours of the rainbow (6)
(i + desir)* = IRISED
35 See preamble (6,5)
MARTIN KAMEN
DOWN
E 2 Indian buffaloes in barn, asleep (5)
Hidden bARN ASleep = ARNAS
3 Smartest mongrel in pile of brushwood (8)
(smartest)* = MATTRESS
A 4 Immovably implant one or two, not without hiccups (6)
(one or two – wo)* = ENROOT
S 5 Woolly article stuffing waste (6)
an (article) in lose (waste) = LANOSE
6 Taciturn when invalid’s irritating (8)
(taciturn)* = URTICANT
7 Harm to the elderly in suburban environment (3)
Hidden suburBAN Environment = BANE = BAP
U 8 Contracted in outlook, managed to overturn argument (6)
Rev. ran (managed) + row (argument) = NARROW
9 Irrational desire to be put up like a Christmas tree (4)
pi (irrational) + Rev. yen (desire) = PINEY = PIPY
R 10 Person who understands line from speaker (5)
talker(speaker) – l (line) = TAKER
15 Answer that’s left with sneaky catch (4)
(answer – w)* = SNARE = SPAR
16 Casual make-up won a part in plays (8, two words)
(won a part)* = WAR PAINT
18 Foolish main user enlarged pipe (8)
(main user)* = ANEURISM
20 Complain when Ifor’s head is hurt (4)
(when + I)* = WHINE = WHIP
E 21 Ultimate excitement as more regularly go to sport (6)
(as + more – oe + go)* = ORGASM
M 22 At the proper moment, the same copper enters (5, two words)
one (the same) around Cu (sopper) = ON CUE
E 23 Painter – no amateur – reproduced colour in butterfly’s wings (6)
(painter – a)* = PTERIN
N 24 Remarkable blunders after dropping members of real board (6)
(remarkable – real)* = EMBARK
T 26 Queen broadcast conclusions from the palace (5)
ran (brioadcast) + e e (conclusions form thE palacE) = RANEE
27 Terminal together with sheathing over base (4)
and (together with) around o (over) + e (base) = ANODE = APOD
31 Close terms in negotiation require extra hour (3)
ends of negotiation require extra hour = NEAR = PAR
The preamble was clear enough, the only mystery being the phrase ‘(thematically-significant) letter position’, for which I hoped a hint or pointer would later emerge.
Working through and solving the clues was an enjoyable endeavour. I solved all the ‘normal’ clues first and then tried the ten ‘special’ ones leading to the modified answers, which were quite tough to break into. Getting the interlocking ANODE and REAN indicated a pattern which fortunately continued through the remaining clues of this type.
At first I saw no way into the theme, the phrase I quoted above having no meaning. However, the name along the top rang a faint bell, from reading science books for fun (!) for many years. In nearly no time I linked Samuel Ruben to carbon-14 dating, thereby giving me the key number 14 and Ruben’s co-worker Martin Kamen. I didn’t need the phrase extracted from the 22 clues, but it made sense, and I went to the trouble of checking that remarkable anagram of the two names taken together.
The C in the cell numbered 14 was a nice touch, which I enjoyed while it lasted. It has now decayed to N, making NOOKIES going across.
Having a poor record with Ifor’s themes, I was relieved as well as pleased to discover and fully resolve this one.
Thanks to Ifor and twencelas.
twencelas
The name is RUBEN, not RUBIN (as the anagram confirms).
[It is interesting that you refer to physics rather than chemistry. At this level (atomic/sub-atomic) chemistry is described in terms of physics anyway, and my pet subject is physics rather than chemistry, but it is worth noting that it was Willard Libby who, building on the work of Ruben and Kamen, carried out further successful experiments on carbon radioactivity and decay, going on to receive the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.]
Thanks Allan_b, have corrected my spelling of Ruben – the boundaries between the sciences are very blurred. Here we have a nuclear change causing one element to transform to another. So yes Chemistry it is. At degree level I did do both Chemistry and Physics in my first year and a lot of the Physical Chemistry was covered in Physics (Schrodinger’s wave equation springs to mind).
Enjoyable – and educational – puzzle – thanks to setter and blogger.
Thanks also to twencelas for explaining the -N/+P/-E mechanism – I was trying to work out why Neon (Ne) would change into Phosphorus (P), but just gave up and submitted it anyway! (Maybe I should have asked my Cambridge-bound A* A-level Chemistry daughter…but I was too stubborn…)
Mc_rapper67 – best wishes to your daughter. That first year is quite something in terms of workload.
A really enjoyable puzzle as usual from Ifor. I always appreciate when the setter goes the extra mile – so keeping real words in the grid after the changes and hiding the message in the 14th letters was a nice touch. I also learned something new on 2 names that were previously unknown to me – thanks Ifor and twencelas for the blog.
[Twencelas at #5 – thanks – yes, it does look a bit daunting – rather her than me!…]
Beta-Minus decay is actually neutron to proton plus emission of electron and anti-neutrino, has to conserve Lepton number, but I think we can forgive the setter.
An enjoyable solve. I got a lot of the grid filled quite smoothly, and spotted the thematic change required though I originally thought Ne was becoming P and went into a neon/phosphorus rabbit hole for a bit. Having worked out the names, that made no sense and further solving showed the thematic changes were actually cleverer than that. I still had my head fixed on nitrogen/phosphorus until realising the significance of the preamble warning about abbreviations when all became clear. A good and interesting challenge. Thanks Ifor and twencelas
My usual thanks to blogger and commenters. I won’t say much more here, as those interested in the background to the puzzle can read about it at the Big Dave site, where there’s a setting blog.
Roz – you’re right, of course. I think the antineutrinos must have passed through the grid undetected, as is their wont. It’s interesting (although unsurprising) that most overtly chemical references gloss over their emission, focussing entirely on the nuclear transmutation.
You would also have had a lot of trouble with the symbol.
You are quite right that they make no contribution to the actual change in the nucleus so can be safely ignored here.
They are very important in the actual beta-minus decay. On average they take 2/3 of the energy and the electron 1/3 which was initially a puzzle before they were proposed. They also contribute to balancing the linear momentum and the spin angular momentum.
Great crossword by the way and very nice to see some physics.
I’d just like to add that I thought the theme went as far as I would dare it to go for a puzzle that is intended to be enjoyed and solved by people with a good GK but not necessarily any SK in physics (or chemistry). I happen to be a keen student of science (especially physics), but (1) in solving the ten special clues I had no idea then of what kind of theme this would be while I was solving all the clues, (2) my only way in was via one of the two names and (3) C, N, P and E can mean different things. (Even within the well-defined theme,, once it is revealed, N means either neutron or nitrogen.) The final flourish (change C to N), though coming easily to me at the end, took this theme to the limit of what I believe a highly literate person with good GK, but who left chemistry behind at Year 10 or earlier, could be expected to work out or look up.
Anyway, this was a really good execution of the chosen theme, and I welcome the huge variety of themes on offer, even those I know nothing about (provided the setter has given at least one hint or pointer to it so that I can find it by looking something up and not just hope that something will turn up using a wild search).
Thank you, Alan and Roz. As it happens my qualifications are in chemistry, but I’d like to think that this isn’t particularly obvious from themes of my puzzles taken collectively.
Not at all obvious! My experience of puzzles of this genre over three years tells me only that Ifor is a polymath who doesn’t like to give anything away!
I always report on puzzles that I seriously attempt, and although my record is pretty good I don’t always crack them.