Teen creates nuclear fusion device

[mrhnau]

A teen in Oakland built a nuclear fusion device in his basement! Amazing! This guy has a future ahead of him

Fusion is a bit simpler than fission, and alot less dangerous. The reaction was not self-substaining (which noone has really done yet), but its still quite impressive

I'm wonder how long before the first private fission device is produced or bomb made?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Wow!!!!!

 

[bydand]

Did you read this part:

Thiago was a semifinalist for the Siemens Foundation's National Research Competition

Makes you wonder what the winniner did.

This is amazing!

 

[Sukerkin]

Kind of puts my DIY efforts into perspective. Shelves, tables, cupboards, doors and windows I can do ... nuclear fusion on the other hand :faints:.

 

[crushing]

Did you read this part: Makes you wonder what the winniner did.

This is amazing!

The winner made a volcano with vinegar and baking soda. . .It was really cool. . . I guess you had to see it. It fizzed all up and stuff.

 

[mrhnau]

The winner made a volcano with vinegar and baking soda. . .It was really cool. . . I guess you had to see it. It fizzed all up and stuff.

LOL!

Seriously, I remember in high school we had a science competition. One of my classmates did some crazy calculus that I -still- don't understand completely.

Also had a classmate that was heavily into robotics. Was doing stuff in 9th grade that still amazes me. And this was in the 80s!

Scary stuff!

 

[bydand]

LOL!

Seriously, I remember in high school we had a science competition. One of my classmates did some crazy calculus that I -still- don't understand completely.

Also had a classmate that was heavily into robotics. Was doing stuff in 9th grade that still amazes me. And this was in the 80s!

Scary stuff!

Yeah I know that feeling. I had a friend in High School in Sault Ste. Marie, MI who was amazingly brilliant. I always wondered what he would have done if he wasn't so stoned all the time. He was writing computer programs for the "smart" kids who actually got to touch the 2 computers we had in the school.

 

[terryl965]

Kids are getting smarter everyday and I keep get older, which means I'm stupied more today than the average 12 year old. That makes me feel good

 

[exile]

Usual newspaper news science story---confronted with some really tremendous achievement, turn 3/4 of the story into `human interest' stuff with emphasis on what his parents say about him...

I find the idea incredible. Nuclear fusion is the reaction which powers the stars, for heaven's sake!! To get it to happen, you have to create conditions in which the tendency of light-element nuclei to repel each other is trumped by the strong nuclear force that keeps atoms together. The first time anyone tried to do that was in putting together the components of the first hydrogen bombs, and the only way to get conditions hot enough to do that was to use an atomic (fission) bomb to create enough heat to `swamp' the electrical repulsion between the hydrogen nucleii. Without that heat, no fusion...

Controlled fusion has been a mirage on the horizon for forty years or so just because of this problem---breaking down the electromagnetic repulsion between the proton cores of hydrogen atoms... one technology that's been tested is to slam very high-energy laser light from several different directions into a solid lithium hydride target to get the resulting supercompression to heat up the hydrogen enough to initiate the fusion reaction, but that still is based on creating a phenomenally high temperature to initiate the reaction...and this kid has found a way to do that in his basement????

HOW?????

That's what I wanna know---not whether or not his folks thought he was gonna turn out to be a cook or anything else, for that matter...

 

[Andrew Green]

HOW?????

So I'm not the only one wanting blueprints and technical "what the heck he did" explanations then?

 

[exile]

So I'm not the only one wanting blueprints and technical "what the heck he did" explanations then?

I'm sure you're (we're) not! Think about what this kid did---he was able to overcome the Couloumb repulsion of enough atoms to create another element out of them, and release the binding energy of the strong nuclear force... in his basement! He either generated a phenomenal amount of heat in order to do that or he has cracked the mystery of room-temperature fusion... either way, I want to know just what he's doing with that apparatus. What is he doing to overcome the repulsion between atomic nucleii???

I really cannot get my mind around this one... no, we need blueprints and technical descriptions, absolutely!

 

[Sukerkin]

I'm guessing that with a bit of digging we could possibly find a few clues here:

http://www.fusor.net/board/index.php?site=fusor

Reading the description in the article, it sounds like he's creating a plasma by ionising the deuterium via a 40kV arc and then drawing the ions together using {muffled woffling}.

How that results in fusion is beyond me. Unless what they mean is that in the ball of plasma a few of the ionic atoms fuse? That I could believe (raises "non-physicist" card, just to be clear).

The chap says that it's not a self-sustaining reaction, and thus consumes more energy than it produces {just as well considering the lack of containment :lol:} so it's not the 'grail' as yet.

That's not to detract from his efforts and achievments tho' {raises hat in salute}.

 

[crushing]

I haven't really thought much about the science of fusion for many years. But, I get the feeling that this not being a self-sustaining reaction in his basement is probably a good thing.

 

[Bigshadow]

I think that is totally cool! Way cool!

 

[Andrew Green]

I haven't really thought much about the science of fusion for many years. But, I get the feeling that this not being a self-sustaining reaction in his basement is probably a good thing.

Well, if it was a controlled self-sustaining reaction he'd be getting some pretty big job offers

 

[elder999]

Without even looking at the article, I knew that it's the Farnsowth Fusor, invented by the same guy that gave us the cathode ray tube-television, back in the late 50's. It's used commercially as a neutron source, and is a rather popular science fair item-it's a difficult engineering project, but not particularly inventive or groundbreaking.

He's not even the first teen to do it.

 

[exile]

Without even looking at the article, I knew that it's the Farnsowth Fusor, invented by the same guy that gave us the cathode ray tube-television, back in the late 50's. It's used commercially as a neutron source, and is a rather popular science fair item-it's a difficult engineering project, but not particularly inventive or groundbreaking.

He's not even the first teen to do it.

OK, that makes a little more sense... I have to say, I'm a bit relieved...
Thanks for the reference!

 

[mrhnau]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER

Found that today Appropriate... This one costs tens of millions and this kid did a small scale in his basement... go figure

 

[Fu_Bag]

And NEXT up in the news.....an unfortunate story.....

"Parents Kill Teen Genius Over This Month's Power Bill"

and

"Neighbors of Teen Genius Report Glowing Urine"

and

"Real HEROES Surface Near Basement Fusion Experiment"

News at 11:00.........


Honestly, with my intellect, I'd probably have an easier time with the plans for the baking soda volcano. "Wow...It's rrrrrrreeeeeeeaaaaaaally fffffiiiiiiiiiiizzzzzzzyyyyyyyy"