SCP-736
rating: 0+x

Item #: SCP-736

Object Class: Safe/Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-736 is to be held down in a 2m by 2m by 2m chamber by no less than 4 steel cables bolted to the floor. It will float in the approximate center of the room when properly restrained. The cables are to provide a little slack, as SCP-736's properties are not fully understood and may be prone to fluctuation in density.

Description: A glossy black cube exactly 40cm in all directions barring a few irregular slivers cut off its edges, SCP-736 is best described as gravity-defying. If it were to be released outside, it would float freely off into the atmosphere like a helium balloon, potentially never to be seen again. The exact nature of SCP-736 is as-yet unknown, but it is believed to be a sample of solid neutronium so dense that it has effectively undergone an integer overflow, and is now substantially lighter than air, and slightly lighter than helium. Quite how this is even possible is mindboggling to all of our scientists who have examined it so far, all of whom insist that it is physically impossible, yet SCP-736 clearly exists.

Integer overflow occurs when an arithmetic operation attempts to create a numeric value larger than can be represented within the available storage space. For example, the maximum representable value in eight (8) bits is two hundred and fifty five (255). If even one (1) is added, an overflow occurs. In unsigned integers, this leads to a negative value, in this case a value of close to minus two hundred and fifty five (-255).

Exactly how an integer overflow is possible in reality is currently unknown to us. Research is ongoing but slow, due to potential mental obfuscation effects, or merely due to the physics involved - researchers report headaches and migraines after extended time studying SCP-736, and prolonged exposure is therefore inadvisable. Watching SCP-736 for extended periods does not seem to induce headaches or migraines, but it is not something that can be ruled out just yet.

If SCP-736 could be replicated successfully, it could prove incredibly useful. Until then, it is classified Safe/Euclid as it is relatively harmless, though it is currently not well understood and impossible to replicate. Attempts to study samples have proved futile as they simply try to float away, however it only takes a sharp surgical scalpel to acquire them.

Recovery: The exact recovery date of SCP-736 is shrouded in mystery and records lost to time and damage, but it is believed it was retrieved in the mid 19██s after it was sighted hovering over a small village in [REDACTED] after having emerged from a nearby lake. Fortunately it was quickly and efficiently acquired by Foundation personnel, and explained away as UFO hoax using a specially designed balloon.

Addendum:

"SCP-736 is not to be used to counteract weight for the purpose of manual labour, as efficient as it may be. I swear if I see another desk floating down the hallway at chest height, someone is going to find themselves in a world of trouble. Inertia still applies, so if you shove that desk, it will go flying until it hits a wall or other obstacle." - Dr. █████

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