Guy claimed to have built a nuclear fusion reactor when he was 14 year old! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TheWelly888
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 06:37:03 pm
content: This 17 year old guy claims that he built a nuclear fusion reactor in his garage when he was 14!http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=69776The control panel well deserves a good tear down by Our Dave!What did you discover at 14? ( apart from Mrs Palm and her five daughters)

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 08:02:34 pm
content: With the technology available today to anyone interested, most anyone can have their own atomic clocks, or home metrology labs, there are group interested in DIY "Mr. Fusion". Although Taylor has gotten the spotlight, there are others who have gotten less recognition, having achieved different levels of success over 10 years ago. There are other winners of the Intel prize.http://www.fusor.net/In the 1970s, a college student designed an atomic bomb but lacked the fission material to test the design. At the time, nuclear scientists who reviewed his design said in general, it would work, and a few said it wouldn't.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Aristotle_PhillipsIt was loosely the basis of a 1986 movie called Manhattan Project.For stereotypes of prodigies entering college early, and later the perils that befall them, see "Big Bang Theory" TV show or the 1980s movie, "Real Genius."But you needn't be a prodigy to dive into what seems like esoteric technology. There are advanced technologies you can play with given your time to investigate the principles and buy gear at eBay. From DIY genetic engineering, to DIY IC fabrication, there are a lot of fun things to do than go to the movies.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14Biology-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 09:30:00 pm
content: So if I'm understanding this correctly, this kid was awarded the "Presidential treatment" for successfully assembling an esoteric kit?

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 09:41:01 pm
content: sounds like total bull to me. Scientists have been trying to achieve nuclear fission for years but we don't actually have anything we can built a reactor with that will take the heat. so he make small of "building a star" and blags on about the president...... yea right.....As for kids building nuclear reactors I recall a story of a 14 year old that did, he even went to the extent of buying old pictures so that he could scrap a particular chemical of the frame that was in the paint or something. If I remember rightly it was discovered by acident when someone was in the area with a geige counter and the whole area was locked down as he nearlly did some damage. Of course might also be a wise tale.

author: M. András
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 10:01:07 pm
content: there is a nice comment under the video "Taylor Wilson: 14-Year-Old Builds Nuclear Reactor. And look at you... the only thing you did at 14 was discover masturbation.":D:D:D:D:Di think that explains everything

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 10:26:33 pm
content: The nuclear weapon bit is is easy if you don't mind killing yourself, you just need two pieces of plutonium at about 7 KG each then just hammer them together, job done and dusted. Of course the the thing is you local hardware store always seems to have run out of the stuff when you want it.

author: fmaimon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 23, 2012, 11:00:48 pm
content: Nuclear fusion is "easy". The hard part is getting more energy than you put in to achieve it. Lot´s of DIY fusion reactors out there.There are 4 entries on hackaday alone.

author: Noize
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2012, 01:17:01 am
content: Your thinking of the nuclear boy scout.http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.htmlQuote from: Simon on March 23, 2012, 09:41:01 pm

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2012, 02:02:48 am
content: nuclear fission, fusion, electron microscopes, genetic synthesisers and even sattelite deployment systems can all be built in most garages within a year, the only thing being is, they usually dont compare that well to systems that have millions of dollars thrown at them,as for not having something to take the heat, thats hardly a worry, high power magnetic feilds are the easiest way to contain hot partical matter, that is part of the reason why its hard to break even with fusion,

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2012, 02:04:53 am
content: Only discovered Mrs Palm and her lovely daughters at 14? Late developer then. At least I had discovered where the hairdresser was.They make it sound rare and amazing. Whereas it is something that was in our textbooks at school, with an implication that, had I been around a few years before, the school would have had the equipment to do the demonstration.I'm sure he is a great guy, but he does have the sound of someone who has been wheeled out a thousand times to say it all. I'm sure he will go far and make millions, but in marketing or motivational speaking, not physics.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2012, 06:09:34 am
content: OH dear .... radioactivity is not something somebody wants to play with .

author: Dago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2012, 09:37:52 am
content: Quote from: Simon on March 23, 2012, 09:41:01 pmNuclear fusion is quite easy to achieve with a device like Taylor's. It's just basically a vacuum chamber with a couple electrodes with high voltage over them. It does not produce more power than it consumes though. That is the hard part.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 25, 2012, 09:45:12 am
content: so really it is totally useless except as a party trick and is nothing new ? ok big deal, he did well to gloss over it.I guess it is the media that have put a certain spin on it like when we have high winds that does a lot of damage and one incident involves a small wind turbine falling down and the article headline is all about the wind turbine that was 10% of the article.