Copper Room Theory....

I don't waste too much thought on the whole copper room thing, I don't feel that it's that direly important in the grand scheme of things. As Dorothy implied it was probably used as protection against something though I agree it probably wasn't against something physical, an inch of copper wouldn't protect against a whole lot. If the man can afford the resources needed to build sentient androids and giant robots he could afford better physical protection than copper which in itself would've been rather expensive coat an entire room in.

The only way I can see the room being coated in copper for his android research is if he was really that obsessive about making sure he wouldn't zap his work that he'd coat the entire room which makes sense when you consider in his mind he's working to resurrect his grandaughter which makes the whole thing a lot more important to him than just building any android.

the room was made to protect agianst the electromagnetic pulse that Big Venus made theat fried everyone's minds. Thats how arthur frizgerold and dorthy still has memories of 40 years ago.

There's problems with that though, since I don't see a copper room stopping Big Venus who can erase the entire city into non-existance in a virtual grid.

I completely agree with Wreck-Gar about the copper room being unable to stop Big Venus. The last episode shows the entire city erased with nothing remaining, and there was clearly no copper room siting there by itself. I thought the room was to give the house a mad-scientist-vibe and on a practicle note as protection from electric shocks. As to why it was on the walls and ceiling, it is possible for a shock to be transmitted through other surfaces then just floor. My point is there is nothing in the show to suggest that copper or any other substance helps preserve or obtain memories. If there was Rosewater would have built himself a copper house or Schwarzwald would have made himself some copper bandages.

maybe he's afraid of germs...

I believe the copper room was an enormous Faraday Cage. These are used in real life to shield delicate experiments from stray electromagnetic radiation that can introduce interference in a circuit. They're very common...in fact, a car is a simple Faraday Cage, which is why one isn't fried when lighting strikes the car one's sitting in.

Faraday cages can both shield its interior from external EM, or contain EM generated within its interior.

On this, I'm thinking that, yes, copper is used for keeping crucial technology and components away from harmful electrical discharges, but I really don't think that is the reason. When they first walked into the room, Dorothy pointed out that the room had 1-inch copper plating. This is more than necessary (as someone previously said), and then Roger replied that maybe he was tring to protect himself or something. The copper was pointed out in a mysterious tone. If it was just a lab necessity, it wouldn't be so strangly pointed out, and the theory that he was trying to protect himself wouldn't be stated either. The copper might have kept him from losing his memories. Think about that episode, Negotiating with the Dead, where that old guy still had his memories. Compary wayneright and that old android guy. They are both VERY OLD. They both STILL HAVE THIER MEMORIES. They both have houses with HIDDEN ROOMS and SEALED, BIG DOORS. Maybe it is truly to keep them from losing thier memories. But I don't think so myself, just pointing out a little observation. It could just as easily be a coincedence.

So in short... I think that there is a second reason that the room has copper plating, because it was pointed out as being out-of-the-ordinary. It would not have been pointed out if it was a normal laboratory thing.

P.S. If I remember correctly, the room just before the laboratory was coated in copper, not the laboratory itself. Didn't they have to go thru two big doors to get to the actual lab?

indeed, only a thin mesh is required to screen out weak external EM fields like stray radio waves...but a faraday cage is also used to contain an EM field. If the field strength exceeds the ability of the cage to contain it, one would require a stronger cage. Similarly, if the external EM field is far more powerful than ambient stray radiation say, a charged particle beam, the cage would require a far larger mass to distribute the charge over its surface.

In regards to Roger's comment about protection...someone also mentioned that the room couldn't be an amnesia shield, since the room didn't survive the Reset. Since copper is too malleable and ductile as an armor plating against kinetic forces, it stands to reason that the only protection such a room would provide would be against high energy charged particles. The mysterious tone with which the subject was mentioned could imply that Wayneright was either trying to keep an enormous energy out...or an enormous energy in.

That is...if one holds any stock in anime physics, which don't always obey the laws of nature.

Ok, seeing as so many revelations were made known in this episode, it only makes sense that the copper room does in fact hold a certain value to the plot.

I think it is a bomb shelter, so that certain equipment can continue working (such as android circuitry and megadeuce memorybanks, probably more the former than teh latter) if in case an elecromagnetic pulse was to be unleashed. Wayneright was a scientist, and a scientist wost fear is that their equipment can't work due to certain problems, since there was a shard of data disc there, perhaps there was other information, and of course it's obvious who was after that information:

spoiler (highlight to read):

Alex Rosewater

Like someone said, it wasnt the lab, just the entrance room. Perhaps it was a security device? Run a few million Volts through it and nobody is going anywhere, especially a crazed android. Likewise, it would keep Alex and Alan out. . .

I think we've got this figured out. Now people are just rewording what other people already said.

Kudos on the debunking!