Wyoming Teen Builds Fusion Reactor - Disqualified from Science Fair - Polidicks

[QUOTE=ewitwins;40858214]Question: Where the [b]fuck[/b] did he manage to get the radioactive material necessary to achieve fusion?[/QUOTE] Fusion doesn't require the same radioactive materials fission does. You can buy deuterium and tritium (both isotopes of hydrogen).

Holy shit.. I live for nothing then.

[QUOTE=alexguydude;40856719]Seriously how can someone do this? Some countries can't even do this. Crazy.[/QUOTE] there are a bunch of plans online for fusors like this. they don't produce more energy than you put in though, and that's the hard bit.

His crime: competing in too many science fairs. [t]http://smithsverdict.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/jimmy-neutron-boy-genius-thumb-560xauto-24506.gif[/t]

Well, To be fair, He is probably really used to science fairs by now, And building a fucking fusion reactor is practically winning the fair, Compared to some other experimentss. But that shouldn't mean he is disqualified.

[QUOTE=ewitwins;40858214]Question: Where the [B]fuck[/B] did he manage to get the radioactive material necessary to achieve fusion?[/QUOTE] You don't need fissile material to achieve nuclear fusion, all you need are atoms that can be fused together. The most simplest substance for this being hydrogen, using deuterium or tritium. Tritium however is an incredibly rare substance and to get enough for a fusion reactor (that size) would cost you an unnecessary fortune, and deuterium would be the much better choice.

I'm not going to say anyone can do this, but in this age of information all you need in most cases is time, money, some know-how and lots of determination and patience. And most importantly, the internet.

Oh god his name is just too perfect

Get out of here, you're learning too much! You're going to use up all the learning and no one else will be able to learn!

I mean, what else is there to do in Wyoming?

When he builds a Polywell fusor, then i'll be impressed, but seriously, i've wanted to build a fusor, but i think neutron radiation would still be a concern, and i have no idea where to start. Either way, he still needs to build a Polywell, i know of a guy in NY state that's working on a Polywell.

i'm reminded of this: [t]http://i.imgur.com/DCHME6A.jpg[/t]

Really? You're going to be unnecessarily shitty to the kid that can harness the power of the sun? I won't feel sorry for you once you're death rayed, that's for sure.

What a douchebag. This kid manages to do something not very many people are capable of doing, yet he gets kicked out for it. Also, what kind of reason is "Competing in too many science fairs"?

I honestly get where she's coming from. It's sort of relatable to mmos. This guy is, say, a level 90 genius competing in level 10 genius battlegrounds against volcanoes and water rockets with his FUSION REACTOR. His outclasses everything else by so much he wins all the time every time with no exceptions, and it's no fun for anyone else. I mean sure he built a fusion reactor at an early age and by all means he deserves recognition for it and a harvard scholarship EASILY, but competing in high school science fairs that often with something you know will win is a bit much.

Although it is not a simple task, it requires a fair amount of money to attempt something like a fusor. High vacuum equipment is very expensive to say the least, as is a high voltage power supply. There are extreme safety hazards, such as high voltage, x-rays, and neutron radiation. The latter of which needs to be understood very well and is also expensive to detect. Most fusors don't output that many neutrons, and so the x-ray hazard is also a very serious one if the operating voltage is high enough. I think he should be able to compete, it's not a simple task and requires a lot of knowledge and effort to build.

Well, never fear, fellow Facepunchers. When I build my dwarfy deathfortress, I now have a candidate to run my experimental fusion reactor. He'll get a raise for every month a henchman goes without being crippled by radiation poisoning, too! So no matter what happens, his future is set on collision course for awesome.

[QUOTE=calebc789;40859944]What a douchebag. This kid manages to do something not very many people are capable of doing, yet he gets kicked out for it. Also, what kind of reason is "Competing in too many science fairs"?[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=fox '09;40860079]Although it is not a simple task, it requires a fair amount of money to attempt something like a fusor. High vacuum equipment is very expensive to say the least, as is a high voltage power supply. There are extreme safety hazards, such as high voltage, x-rays, and neutron radiation. The latter of which needs to be understood very well and is also expensive to detect. Most fusors don't output that many neutrons, and so the x-ray hazard is also a very serious one if the operating voltage is high enough. I think he should be able to compete, it's not a simple task and requires a lot of knowledge and effort to build.[/QUOTE] If you read the article: [QUOTE]The problem was too many fairs, in not the right order. Students are only allowed to compete in one qualifying regional fair, and then another larger qualifying fair such as a state fair, said Michele Glidden, director of science and education programs for the Society for Science and the Public, the organization that runs the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The rule is to keep students from jumping from one qualifying fair to another until he or she is finally allowed to move on, she said. Newcastle High School students went to the Wyoming State Science Fair at the University of Wyoming, then later the South Dakota School of Mines regional fair in Rapid City. Farnsworth did not qualify at the UW fair but did in South Dakota. None of his teachers knew the rule existed and would be a problem, said Newcastle High School science teacher Doug Scribner. Newcastle sits only miles from the South Dakota border, and the high school has been going to both fairs for three years. It hasn't been a problem in the past, but this was also the first time in three years a Newcastle student had qualified for the international fair. “The South Dakota fair is close and gives our kids another opportunity to present their work,” Scribner said. “I think that was some of our motivation, and it did give our kids another chance to qualify.”[/QUOTE] He competed in two qualifying competitions, in the wrong order. It wouldn't really be fair to allow that, even if he had a crap project. They didn't kick him out "because his project was that much better than the others'", they really got him on a technicality.

[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;40856750]No, this fucker did it in a cave with a box of scraps. [sub]i apologize.[/sub][/QUOTE] Somebody has been watching to much iron man.

I've considered building a small tabletop fusion reactor for some time now (because why the fuck not, it'd be cool), but whenever I write up a price list for it it winds up being a few thousand dollars (vacuum pumps, specially machined metal parts, and other such stuff doesn't come cheap unfortunately). Not exactly economically feasible, unfortunately, especially when I consider that the money it'd cost to build it is probably close to the amount of money I've managed to save while working a part time job for the past year and a half.

I guess my potato battery isn't going to win then..

It's funny how everyone in this thread seems to think it takes a super genius to build a small fusor. The issue is more one of money and access to the parts you need than one of intelligence. All you really need is to have some well machined metal hemispheres that fit together and are completely air tight with a few equally as airtight places on the surface to insert things like a really good vacuum pump, and then you have two metal grids inside of the whole set up - the outer one is positively biased to some ungodly voltage (can't remember what voltage is needed off the top of my head), and the inner grid is negatively charged to some equally as ungodly voltage. Then you introduce some ionised deuterium into the chamber and let nature take its course. The deuterium nucleus (being positively charged) feels both an incredible repulsive force from the outer grid, and an incredibly attractive force to the inner grid, and accelerates inward to the centre of the whole chamber fast enough to fuse with other incoming deuterium nuclei. To be honest, I'd say a metal worker would have a much easier time building such a thing than most scientists because the real issue is parts, and actually being able to work metal correctly (if you wanna do the whole thing yourself and keep it cheap). And coming to think of it now, one of my friend's dad's runs a company out of a small workshop with metalworking equipment. Maybe I should go have a chat with him...

[QUOTE=meppers;40857116]is there an online tutorial for making your own personal fusion reactor?[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-A-Fusion-Reactor/[/url]

[QUOTE=meppers;40857116]is there an online tutorial for making your own personal fusion reactor?[/QUOTE] yeah, you just gotta get some incredibly expensive superconductors to make electromagnets, some heat pumps, some liquid nitrogen to cool the magnets, maybe helium if you wanted some real quality, then a very strong vacuum chamber containing only some hydrogen plasma, maybe about quarter mol, then use the magnets to push the hydrogen to the center of the enclosure, and then oscillate the magnets on and off as fast as you possibly can. the plasma atoms should begin to vibrate rapidly, just like water in a microwave. since this is a plasma in a vacuum being artificially vibrated, your temperature can basically be as high as you want. now, hopefully the intense heat and magnetic force pushing the atoms should cause fusion. you'll want some D-T hydrogen separated out of heavy water, because you need the two neutrons to make the helium. H1, protinium, doesn't have neutrons. i probably played really fast and loose with the details there, but who cares

"Also x-rays can pour out of ceramic feedthroughs so point them away from people." That's my favourite precaution, 'do not point fusion reactor at people' :v:

oh and be real careful your nitrogen doesnt boil off or your superconductors will explode very fucking violently, equal to the current you're pushing through them. except in joules behind some air and metal shards flying through your garage.

[QUOTE=sltungle;40873553]It's funny how everyone in this thread seems to think it takes a super genius to build a small fusor. The issue is more one of money and access to the parts you need than one of intelligence. All you really need is to have some well machined metal hemispheres that fit together and are completely air tight with a few equally as airtight places on the surface to insert things like a really good vacuum pump, and then you have two metal grids inside of the whole set up - the outer one is positively biased to some ungodly voltage (can't remember what voltage is needed off the top of my head), and the inner grid is negatively charged to some equally as ungodly voltage. Then you introduce some ionised deuterium into the chamber and let nature take its course. The deuterium nucleus (being positively charged) feels both an incredible repulsive force from the outer grid, and an incredibly attractive force to the inner grid, and accelerates inward to the centre of the whole chamber fast enough that to fuse with other incoming deuterium nuclei. To be honest, I'd say a metal worker would have a much easier time building such a thing than most scientists because the real issue is parts, and actually being able to work metal correctly (if you wanna do the whole thing yourself and keep it cheap). And coming to think of it now, one of my friend's dad's work runs a company out of a small workshop with metalworking equipment. Maybe I should go have a chat with him...[/QUOTE] I won't lie, I know shit about the process so all that's left is the buzzing in my head from that [I]nuclear buzzword.[/I]

[QUOTE]Conrad Farnsworth is the first person in Wyoming to build a nuclear fusion reactor. [/QUOTE] Of course his name had to be Farnsworth. We're going to be hearing about this story in a monologue before the world blows up soon.

[QUOTE=ojcoolj;40856687]NEWCASTLE – A Wyoming high school student who built a nuclear reactor in his dad's garage was disqualified from the International Science and Engineering Fair this month on a technicality. His crime: competing in too many science fairs.[/QUOTE] Two things: 1) Who cares that he competed in too many science fairs? Seriously. 2) Don't fuck with someone who has a goddamn [I]nuclear reactor.[/I]

[QUOTE=ewitwins;40858214]Question: Where the [b]fuck[/b] did he manage to get the radioactive material necessary to achieve fusion?[/QUOTE] [img]http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/9737/uranium.gif[/img]