Wow...college freshman builds nuclear fusion reactor...

[Sid59]

that's how to get the poontang

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: A5

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

Originally posted by: Skoorb I thought that fission was what we used and fusion wasn't really understood properly yet?

You understood correctly. It's bullshit.

Fusion itself isn't bullshit (See: The Sun, Modern nuclear weapons); just cold fusion, from what we understand at this time.

Well, we have a form of "cold" fusion (cold doesn't mean cold per se, it just means that the activation energy is less than the energy output, think exothermic, or exergonic reactions), but it is uncontrolled (think thermonuclear weapon). A Thermonuclear weapon is essentially two fission bombs and a fusion bomb. The first fission explosion provides the energy to start the fusion reaction, and the second fission explosion is caused by the uranium (or plutonium) shell surrounding the fusion core to catch the neutrons, which causes another fission explosion in itself. If there wasn't this shell, you would have a neutron bomb, which has one fission and one fusion explosion, and lots and lots of excess neutrons. There is one fusion reactor that puts out slightly more energy than is needed to maintain it, but I can't remember which university it is at (U Penn?).

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I had a fission reactor powering our house when I was 9.

9? STFU n00b! I took my lunch to preschool in a nuclear powered refigerated lunchpail. It had Garbage Pail Kids on it!

 

[KokomoGST]

wow... like... wow...

:Q

Next up... flux capacitor??

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: KraziKid

Originally posted by: K1052
Becoming the Bill Gates of energy would be nice. Trillions instead of billions. I don't think it is even possible for a fusion reactor to melt down.

Fusion reactors can melt down.

Please explain.

My understanding was that if the plasma got to the containment shell that it would cool down enough to kill the reaction.

 

[Chaotic42]

At first I thought this was one of those stupid things where people fake a story and make it look real.

Anyway, I have to wonder what kinds of junkyards have these things. At our local junkyards there are bits of old trucks and pieces of some redneck's wife.

 

[Adul]

wow!:Q

 

[Hossenfeffer]

And I thought Philo was from Rigby, ID.

There's the energy lab not far from Idaho Falls, so I imagine some interesting parts might get dumped.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I thought that fission was what we used and fusion wasn't really understood properly yet?

You understood correctly. It's bullshit.

Good ole HP. I'm sure you know more than all those crazy scientists and their facts.

If fusion is bullsh*t, you might want to tell the government that all their nuclear warheads won't work. Oh, and the sun is just a big sham too...it's not really there.

For people that have the capability of independant thought, here is some basic info on nuclear fusion.

Nuclear Fusion Basics

Basically, NF is possible, but the problem is extremely high temperatures are needed to initiate a reaction, and as a result, more energy is used than is released. This is why the "cold fusion" possibility was so exciting, until it turned out to be a hoax. The benfits to fusion over fission mainly are unlimited fuel (water), very little waste that is safe to handle almost immediately with no protection, and any malfuction in the reaction results in a rapid shutdown.

Our current thermonuclear warheads use a combination of both. The inital fission reaction creates enough heat for the fusion reaction to take place.


Of course, this is all bullsh*t and HP knows more than everyone else...

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Insane3D

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I thought that fission was what we used and fusion wasn't really understood properly yet?

You understood correctly. It's bullshit.

Good ole HP. I'm sure you know more than all those crazy scientists and their facts.

If fusion is bullsh*t, you might want to tell the government that all their nuclear warheads won't work. Oh, and the sun is just a big sham too...it's not really there.

For people that have the capability of independant thought, here is some basic info on nuclear fusion.

Nuclear Fusion Basics

Basically, NF is possible, but the problem is extremely high temperatures are needed to initiate a reaction, and as a result, more energy is used than is released. This is why the "cold fusion" possibility was so exciting, until it turned out to be a hoax. The benfits to fusion over fission mainly are unlimited fuel (water), very little waste that is safe to handle almost immediately with no protection, and any malfuction in the reaction results in a rapid shutdown.

Our current thermonuclear warheads use a combination of both. The inital fission reaction creates enough heat for the fusion reaction to take place.

Of course, this is all bullsh*t and HP knows more than everyone else...

The kid made a minature working Model of the Sun. If you make one with just enough power and properly contained safely, you have a tremendous "nearly" unlimited fuel source for great power. That power can used any way possible including propelling a Spaceship without needing solid fuel.

 

[Chaotic42]

Let me know when he makes a matter/anti-matter power generator.

E=mc², baby.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: GeneValgene

Originally posted by: Shanti

Originally posted by: Beau
How the F did "eating blueberries" top a home-built reactor?

LOL, that was my though.
I guess since he was following plans rather than inventing it from scratch.

for anyone curious, here's the blueberry pie one:

Teen scientist savors success
Niskayuna-- Project that looked at health effects of blueberries wins prize at Intel competition
By RICK KARLIN, Times Union Staff writer

It was a tasty victory for Jennifer D'Ascoli, and one that is bound to color her future. D'Ascoli, a 17-year-old junior at The Academy of the Holy Names, cooked up an experiment that won her a top prize in last month's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

She competed with 1,350 promising young scientists and engineers from 35 nations at the finals of the Intel competition in Cleveland. When the judging was over, she had a First Grand Award in the physics category, a $3,000 prize, and a measure of international notice.

The title of her project: "Is Blueberry Pie Bad for You?"

"The answer is no," said D'Ascoli, of Niskayuna.

According to a sophisticated chemical and physical analysis that D'Ascoli conducted, the pies could indeed be beneficial, thanks to blueberries' potential properties as a cancer fighter. Cooked blueberries, she said, "are possibly more effective than raw berries" in combating free radicals, which are oxygen atoms believed to cause cellular damage and even cancer.

Flavonoids are found in numerous fruits and vegetables.

Focusing on naringenin, a flavonoid found in blueberries, D'Ascoli figured that heating the substance would change its molecular structure, thus altering how it would interact with free radicals.

Working at a University at Albany physics lab, she heated naringenin and another flavonoid, genistein, to more than 500 degrees, well beyond the temperature at which a pie would be scorched. She then observed the changes that resulted.

D'Ascoli started her research with the help of her science teacher, Donna Mooney,

"She kind of developed it over the course of two years," Mooney said of the experiment.

Mooney also introduced D'Ascoli to a University at Albany physics professor, Susanne Lee, who has served as a mentor to the young researcher. After scouring scientific literature about flavonoids, D'Ascoli used UAlbany's testing and detection equipment to observe changes in the heated substances.

D'Ascoli said her interest in fighting cancer stemmed from reading fiction by Lurlene McDaniels as a child. McDaniels' stories often include characters who are battling cancer.

Knowing that flavonoids show promise as a treatment for breast cancer further narrowed D'Ascoli's research. She conducted much of her lab work last summer, after morning swim practice with the Mohawk Marlins swim club and driver's education classes.

Her interest in health and the salutary effects of blueberries may run in the family: Her father is an orthopedic surgeon and her mother is a dietitian.

Mooney said D'Ascoli is fairly quiet in class but invariably grows excited by lab experiments. "She's very gung-ho with this kind of thing," said Mooney.

With this year's competition over, D'Ascoli plans to keep pushing the boundaries of her research, with the next step being a possible experiment to see how flavonoids affect actual cancer cells.

Joan Wagner, director of the Greater Capital Region Science and Engineering Fair, which funnels participants to the Intel competition, said D'Ascoli's work may well lead to participation in a published research paper -- quite a feat for a teenager.

"She's coming out with some really new information," said Wagner who added that only a handful of kids win top awards at the Intel event. Science fairs affiliated with Intel draw tens of thousands of participants worldwide. The Capital Region event is based at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Down the road, D'Ascoli said she wants to study biochemistry in college and possibly work as a pediatrician or oncologist.

So does she take her research to heart and consume blueberry pies? "I had some the other night," she said with a chuckle.

That's pretty lame in comparison to a neutron generator

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
That's pretty lame in comparison to a neutron generator

No kidding. Yay, blueberries are good for you. It was far more of a scientific study than I've ever done, but it's certainly not more important that the subject of this thread.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: Nitemare
That's pretty lame in comparison to a neutron generator

No kidding. Yay, blueberries are good for you. It was far more of a scientific study than I've ever done, but it's certainly not more important that the subject of this thread.

All he did was put together some parts in an already known way, she did some research which had not been done before on naringenin.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: Nitemare
That's pretty lame in comparison to a neutron generator

No kidding. Yay, blueberries are good for you. It was far more of a scientific study than I've ever done, but it's certainly not more important that the subject of this thread.

All he did was put together some parts in an already known way, she did some research which had not been done before on naringenin.

Which is biology not physics

 

[Red]

[The title of her project: "Is Blueberry Pie Bad for You?"

"The answer is no," said D'Ascoli, of Niskayuna.

Excellent, you win first prize, a bunch of cash, a brand new computer and will probably a scholarship to any school you want because you told us that fruit is good for us! Awesome!

 

[Bulk Beef]

Originally posted by: Redhotjrm

[The title of her project: "Is Blueberry Pie Bad for You?"

"The answer is no," said D'Ascoli, of Niskayuna.

Excellent, you win first prize, a bunch of cash, a brand new computer and will probably a scholarship to any school you want because you told us that fruit is good for us! Awesome!

As if we didn't already know

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: sward666
As if we didn't already know

I can feel my IQ ticking down as I watch that.

 

[Bulk Beef]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: sward666
As if we didn't already know

I can feel my IQ ticking down as I watch that.

Oh sh*t - I've been watching it for hours...

/drools

 

[Kyteland]

Wallace began winning contests ? local, state, national ? culminating in second place in the International Intel Science and Engineering Fair last May in Cleveland

OMG, look at what beat him out.

First Award of $3,000

PH029 Is Eating Blueberry Pie Bad for You?
Jennifer Anne D'Ascoli, 17, Academy of the Holy Names, Albany, New York

PH053 Chaotic Fluids: An Examination of Phase Transitions in Taylor-Couette Flow
Mairead Mary McCloskey, 17, Loreto College, Coleraine, Co Derry, Northern Ireland

link

 

[Kev]

I think you guys all missed the amazing top prize as well...

http://www.intel.com/education/isef/profiles/story09.htm

She proved that chaos is complex. I am utterly dumbfounded.

Not to mention the fact that she had a bunch of university people build her project for her, whereas this guy built a nuclear reactor out of spare parts. What a farce...

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Kev
I think you guys all missed the amazing top prize as well...

http://www.intel.com/education/isef/profiles/story09.htm

She proved that chaos is complex. I am utterly dumbfounded.

Not to mention the fact that she had a bunch of university people build her project for her, whereas this guy built a nuclear reactor out of spare parts. What a farce...

The people who win these youth science awards often have paid consultants to help their projects. I remember reading an article a couple months ago that expressed some concern that these young people really weren't actually doing all of, or even most of, their own work on these projects.