What makes particles stick?

[wannabedamned]

I have a question, Slightly related I guess.

Uranium is a Natural material yes? used in the Little Boy Bomb that was dropped on hiroshima.

Am I right in saying Plutonium is a man made version of Uranium? And the reason we use it is so we don't run out of the Natural Uranium?

Or am I making that up

 

[muon]

I have a question, Slightly related I guess.

Uranium is a Natural material yes? used in the Little Boy Bomb that was dropped on hiroshima.

Am I right in saying Plutonium is a man made version of Uranium? And the reason we use it is so we don't run out of the Natural Uranium?

Or am I making that up

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

By synthetic we mean, too unstable to be found on earth. All elements are natural of course.

 

[Theguy]

You're dealing with friendly light elements like hydrogen and helium, not nasty heavy elements like uranium.

Also it's more energetic.

It's fusion that takes place in stars.

so when you make energy with them via fusion, you don't get the radiation like normal nuclear power plants get?

 

[nikebee]

why is fusion cleaner and more efficient then fission?

Nuclear Fusion would create much less radioactivity than Fission and if managed correctly would last longer than our own sun (which itself is a natural Fusion Reactor).

Nuclear Fusion is fusing two more more atoms together, and creating more energy from something than you put into it to begin with.

There was an article I was reading earlier funnily enough about a lab in California creating a laser that may very well be the breakthrough we need. If it works as intended we will have created an endless supply of energy

http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090530/981/tsc-giant-laser-reactor-aims-to-create-n.html

 

[muon]

so when you make energy with them via fusion, you don't get the radiation like normal nuclear power plants get?

Energy has to be radiated somehow, since otherwise you couldn't use it. My guess would be mainly gamma rays.

 

[Nix]

I'm reading chemistry at university. My physics only goes as far as A level, and that which I use for my degree.

Ah right. My physics is pretty much self-taught so I'm on the back-foot so to speak - expecting to be told I'm very, very wrong at any moment!

codec, get this book if you're interested: Brian Greene - The Elegant Universe. It is very hard going though, especially if you're new to the concepts, but he does a good job of explaining a lot of things.

IIRC, the BBC have done some very good documentaries explaining the nature of atoms, Einstein's theory of special and general relativity, and such. They're probably floating about on the interwebs somewhere if you know where to look.

 

[nikebee]

so when you make energy with them via fusion, you don't get the radiation like normal nuclear power plants get?

You do get radiation from it, but I don't believe it to be anywhere near as harmful as if it were to be from Fission (i.e. a normal Nuclear Power Plant).

 

[muon]

Yes, BBC physics documentaries are very good and accessible to the average person. I've watched most of them. I also would recommend people to do a Physics A-level if at school, and in particular the nuclear/atomic physics option. The fundumental nature of the topic just makes it very interesting.

 

[CaptainComedy]

Ah right. My physics is pretty much self-taught so I'm on the back-foot so to speak - expecting to be told I'm very, very wrong at any moment!

codec, get this book if you're interested: Brian Greene - The Elegant Universe. It is very hard going though, especially if you're new to the concepts, but he does a good job of explaining a lot of things.

IIRC, the BBC have done some very good documentaries explaining the nature of atoms, Einstein's theory of special and general relativity, and such. They're probably floating about on the interwebs somewhere if you know where to look.

I'll look it up

On another note, can these electromagnetic forces be disrupted?

 

[Theguy]

thanks for the info guys - its been quite a few years since i have been at school and had forgotten all the gcse bits and bobs.

 

[nikebee]

I would suggest anyone looking to get into reading about Physics or Quantum Mechanics/Quantum Theory should read this first.

Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You - by Marcus Chown
http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/5807480/Quantum-Theory-Cannot-Hurt-You/Product.html

It's a very well written book that should be appealing to the newbie physicist or person writing their doctorant on physics.

I found it very easy to read and it explains almost everything you'd want to know about Quantum Theory and physics.

 

[Nix]

I'll look it up

On another note, can these electromagnetic forces be disrupted with another source of the same charge?

The forces mentioned all vary in strength and are not really compatable. mavity for example is by far the weakest of the forces insofar as it's literally tens of factors weaker than the other forces.

From Wiki:

Strong: 10^38
Electromagnetic: 10^36
Weak: 10^25
mavity: 1

There's an interesting theory about the strength of these forces and the age of the universe (being that the universe has cooled down and the forces have stabilized) in that the closer to the big-bang we get, the more of a plasma state the universe becomes (or something) due to the intensity of the forces and the associated temperature.

 

[wannabedamned]

There was a documentary on BBC a while back in 3 parts

1. THE CLASH OF THE TITANS
Professor Al-Khalili takes us from the discovery of the atom to the development of quantum mechanics.

2. THE KEY TO THE COSMOS
This episode tackles world-changing discoveries such as radioactivity, the Atom Bomb and the Big Bang, and tries to answer the biggest questions of all - why are we here and how were we made?

3. THE ILLUSION OF REALITY
Al-Khalili discovers that there might be parallel universes in which different versions of us exist, and finds out that empty space isn't empty at all, but seething with activity.

Does part 3 have any real basis? Parallel universes seems a little sci fi to me

 

[Ben M]

I have a question, Slightly related I guess.

Uranium is a Natural material yes? used in the Little Boy Bomb that was dropped on hiroshima.

Am I right in saying Plutonium is a man made version of Uranium? And the reason we use it is so we don't run out of the Natural Uranium?

Or am I making that up

Uranium is the heaviest element found naturally, I'm not sure what plutionium is made from, but it is synthesised.

so when you make energy with them via fusion, you don't get the radiation like normal nuclear power plants get?

You get EM type radiation (heat, light, gamma rays) but you won't get particle radiation (alpha and beta) Alpha and beta are much more harmful than gamma, but have a much shorter range, they are much less penetrating. The main difference is that the products of fusion are not themselves radioactive, with fission you get a huge variety of elements left over, some of which are radioactive.

Ah right. My physics is pretty much self-taught so I'm on the back-foot so to speak - expecting to be told I'm very, very wrong at any moment!
.

Your post looks pretty spot on to me mate =]

I'll look it up

On another note, can these electromagnetic forces be disrupted?

Disrupted? They can be overcome. In it's simplest form, when water melts or boils.

hydrogen bonds is another... which is why water is liquid at room temperature! (was thinking just incase you had a glass in your room)

Hydrogen bonds are a type of electrostatic interaction.

 

[sid]

Fusion doesn't produce radioactive waste which is why it is cleaner.

wow 10 posts while i came up with that

 

[daz]

Don't forget Van der Waals and other similar forces at short range.

 

[sid]

Does part 3 have any real basis? Parallel universes seems a little sci fi to me

The "many worlds" QM interpretation deals with parallel universes. The more commonly accepted one is the copenhagen interpretation. Both are pretty bizzare lol

sid

 

[daz]

Fusion (which is supposed to help solve our energy problems) involve fusing two atoms together but we haven't yet managed to do this. It is cleaner and more efficient than fission.

Fusion bombs have been made since the 50s.

 

[CaptainComedy]

Disrupted? They can be overcome. In it's simplest form, when water melts or boils.




Hydrogen bonds are a type of electrostatic interaction.

Well by disrupt I mean like this:

If we are made of atoms and it's the electro static force we create (how do I do that) that makes these atoms stick, how can a stopbe implimented to remove the charge/force?

 

[daz]

I'll look it up

On another note, can these electromagnetic forces be disrupted?

EM fields don't propagate through water very well (hence why the need for SONAR).