this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2024
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[–] [email protected] 92 points 6 months ago (4 children)

I'm so sorry, but you don't split (fission) helium to get energy. You combine (fusion) helium to get energy. You split something heavy like uranium to get energy.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Oh, come on, now you're just splitting hairs!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

From a hairy uranium

[–] [email protected] 30 points 6 months ago

I hate that stupid physics ruins this very good joke :/

Xenon and Krypton are noble gasses that are produced from fission, but I don't think they're ever the pre-guillotine input.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago (2 children)

What if I fuse uranium huh? What then pal?!!!?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The point is the "energy well". That is the elements "in the middle" of the periodic table are more stable/at lower energy states. So fusioning heavy elements or fissioning light elements move to higher energy states, so it will take more energy in than it releases.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

And 'the middle' is iron, in case anyone is wondering.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Ironically >:3

/chaos

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Congrats on your newly discovered element 184!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

For like a nanosecond

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago
[–] [email protected] 31 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Splitting helium requires energy. Go for Radon or something.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The purpose of a guillotine is to deliver energy

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

Perhaps I want clear. If you split helium, you lose energy. You have to go above iron if want to release energy from fission (mostly).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

But a guillotine doesn't deliver more energy that a nuclear explosion. Given the endothermic nature of splitting helium it would have do the splitting and the exploding.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

You ever think there's a reason nobody puts cool in the same sentence as physics :p