Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #13258
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Ben Hitchcock beh01@uow.edu.au
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 07:59:26 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Fission and fusion
Just to set the record straight here, atomic (H - bombs) work with both
fission and fusion.
The physics behind it gets a bit complicated but basically every element
has a specific energy associated with it. This can be thought of as
stability. As you go up the elements from Hydrogen, the 'stability'
increases until you hit iron, where it starts dropping off again. When
you get to elements such as uranium and plutonium the stability has
dropped off considerably from the peak at iron.
But the biggest energy difference is between Hydrogen and Helium -
elements 1 and 2 in the periodic table.
It's a lot easier to start a fission reaction than a fusion reaction. To
start a fission reaction you need a certain critical mass of uranium,
plutonium or some other radioactive heavy element. Every time a particle
decays it produces alpha and beta radiation that, if in close enough
proximity with another atom will cause the next atom to do the same. You
get a chain reaction which quickly turns catastrophic.
This was for our heavy elements of uranium and plutonium... now to our
friend Hydrogen. If you compress hydrogen enough, it will spontaneously
fuse together to create helium, releasing massive amounts of energy in the
process. The only practical way to persuade Hydrogen to do this at the
moment is with a controlled fission nuclear reaction. So the fission
reaction is just there as a 'trigger' to start the fusion process.
Sorry for the off-topic posting but I just had to set the record straight.
I hope no-one actually tries this at home :-)
> A-bombs work because of fission, not fusion.
>
Ben
13259 Sun, 9 Apr 2000 18:15:37 EDT Re: Wacky ideas floating around beam@sgiblab.sgi.com SkavenArmy@cs.com ok heres the thing. allelectronics DID have "geophone sensors" the were about
the size of a small test tube. they're a magnet suspendid in a coil...they
genereat their own power when vibrations occure(or movement)specs are":
natural frequency=10 hz
sorry thats all i can find on them
jz
13260 Sun, 9 Apr 2000 18:25:14 -0400 (EDT) motor problems beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Aaron Letts I just got 2 VCRs from the dump and I tore them apart.
I got 3 motors from each. So, I made a simple
solarengine to put on one of the ones that I thought
was good, just to give it a try. After I was done when
I was testing it, I ran into some problems. I would
put it under the lamp, then it would go like it was
suppose to, but it wouldn't trigger again, and it
would make a high pitched sound. After I took it out
of the light, then put it back in agian, it would go,
but only once. It would never go twice, I had to take
it out of the light, then put it back in. Why does it
do this, and what can I do to fix it?... if there is
anything at all.
Thanks,
Aaron
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13261 Sun, 09 Apr 2000 16:52:53 -0600 Re: sumop beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Flaming Headphones Hi,
> have it spray the other one with an ir emitting film or reflective
> surface, you could trak it that way , or you
>could have your bot stick a beacon to the other bot
Yeah, but you still have to *find* it in the first place to stick your
beacon or whatever on it!
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