I have a question about nuclear fission...

[Thunderclap]

So, if any of you fellows here are nuclear physicists, maybe you can help me...

Okay here's the hypothetical situation: a single, wholly unextraordinary carbon atom, is split.

What would be the amount of kinetic energy released, and what would it be comparable too (100 thousand tons of TNT or what?).

Very simple, but I don't have a clue what would happen.

It's for a short story I'm writing, and the splitting of this carbon atom plays a rather key role.

Assume the maximum amount of energy is released, with perfect 100% conversion.

I would be really thankful for any kind of answer.

 

[Raeven0]

Carbon should be too small to release energy when broken apart.

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

 

[Thunderclap]

Really? I've looked at that article and 90% went over my head.

Can I bother you to give me a layman's explanation of why carbon would not release energy when broken?

EDIT: Okay screw it I'll cut to the chase.
I'm writing a short SF story, wherein two men are having a duel, but it is the two of them standing on two mountaintops having this catastrophic mental "clash of wills" psychic battle.
They both have swords, but neither are using them.
The fight culminates with the hero splitting the atom of carbon on the end of his foe's sword, inciting a nuclear explosion.
Now, I know the presence of what is frankly magic can screw up everything, but I want this to be a weird sciency form of magic.
So, actually, what would be ideal to split to cause an atomic detonation?
Iron maybe?
Some other substance which I could justify the presence of?
Any suggestions?

 

[Raeven0]

I have not intimately studied nuclear physics myself, but here is my impression.

Very heavy atoms have numerous protons in their nuclei that attempt to push each other apart. This weakens the nucleus, as it were, so that less energy holds it together. Splitting a heavy atom produces medium-weight atoms whose nuclei are more stable, that is, the daughter atoms are held more tightly together and have more energy than the parent atom. Fission of heavy atoms thus must release energy for the daughter atoms.

A light atom like carbon has a weak nucleus also, because it is too small for the strong nuclear force to be effective. However, attempting to split carbon produces even smaller atoms with less energy than the parent.

Uranium is used in some military implementations because it is so tough, and splitting uranium does release energy because it is heavy. I am not sure the splitting of a single atom in a swordfight would release enough energy to be effective, but...

Well, anyway, I don't make story suggestions; but when you mention weird sciency magic, I instantly think Fullmetal Alchemist. Transmute that bastard's blade to Uranium 235 and smack it a little...

 

[bbson john]

Energy is absorbed when carbon aghh... fiss. Only Iron or other heavier elements release energy when they carry out fission. Elements lighter than iron release energy when they... fuss.

 

[kirovman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AvgBindingEnergyPerNucleon.jpg

Each nucleus of Carbon-12 (I presume you meant this species of Carbon) would release ~8 x 12 MeV of energy, which would be redistributed as:
Two or more daughter nuclei.
Excess energy emitted as photons.

 

[Thunderclap]

Well, anyway, I don't make story suggestions; but when you mention weird sciency magic, I instantly think Fullmetal Alchemist. Transmute that bastard's blade to Uranium 235 and smack it a little...

Thank you for explainion fission lucidly. I can easily make them wielding depleted uranium swords! :smoking:

Only Iron or other heavier elements release energy when they carry out fission.

So Iron could work for the effect I'm looking for? That'd be great.

Each nucleus of Carbon-12 (I presume you meant this species of Carbon) would release ~8 x 12 MeV of energy, which would be redistributed as:
Two or more daughter nuclei.
Excess energy emitted as photons.

I was just imagining ordinary carbon, but using it as an isotope shouldn't be too hard (Carbon-12 is an isotope, right?) I would still like to go with something really simple like iron though. I am looking for a pretty classic, dramatic mushroom cloud. Doesn't have to be too powerful, just, big enough to annihilate a few hundred sq. meters and look impressive in the process.

 

[Raeven0]

Elements in the middle range near iron are the most tightly-bound (high-energy) of all. Energy is released when light elements are fused into medium-weight ones and when heavy elements are fissioned into medium-weight ones.

 

[Terminator]

You're only going to achieve worthwhile fission reactions with the unstable isotopes of heavy metals (i.e uranium 235), for carbon you would be putting in more energy than it would release.

Your Iron thermonuclear device would do damage.........when it falls through someones house like a cannonball.

 

[burnzie]

 

[Thunderclap]

Okay screw it, they'e both using depleted uranium broadswords, which leads to merry atomic fun. What would the explosion look like (in size, power, and actual appearanace)?

 

[Terminator]

Well the swords together would have to reach critical mass, being a long object these would be fairly hefty swords (the most efficient critical mass shape is of course the sphere)

Some quality enriched uranium with the smallest size possible you would be talking 0.1-2 kilotons.....a town "disruptor"

Btw the depleted uranium wouldn't work as it is DEPLETED, would have to be enriched uranium containing u235.

 

[Maxi]

Well, mushroom clouds form with any bigger explosion.

 

[burnzie]

Well, mushroom clouds form with any bigger explosion.

... mother****er.

 

[Terminator]

Well, mushroom clouds form with any bigger explosion.

The hotter the explosion the better the mushroom shape as well (that's why nukes typically give an impressive mushroom shape)

 

[Thunderclap]

Well the swords together would have to reach critical mass, being a long object these would be fairly hefty swords (the most efficient critical mass shape is of course the sphere)

Some quality enriched uranium with the smallest size possible you would be talking 0.1-2 kilotons.....a town "disruptor"

Btw the depleted uranium wouldn't work as it is DEPLETED, would have to be enriched uranium containing u235.

Wait...kilotons?
That's a unit of measurement.
Do you mean one thousand metric tons?
I'm American so I'm thinking in the pound system.
I can easily convert metric to imperial, but how much is a kiloton.
If its 500 pounds or less, I can justify their wielding of the blades.

And what the heck is critical mass? And how is it achieved?

I fear this fission stuff may be getting a bit too difficult to work.

Any other suggestions how to prompt an impressive explosion? Maybe an exothermic explosion (Fuel-Air), or something else?

 

[Terminator]

Wait...kilotons?
That's a unit of measurement.
Do you mean one thousand metric tons?
I'm American so I'm thinking in the pound system.
I can easily convert metric to imperial, but how much is a kiloton.
If its 500 pounds or less, I can justify their wielding of the blades.

And what the heck is critical mass? And how is it achieved?

I fear this fission stuff may be getting a bit too difficult to work.

Any other suggestions how to prompt an impressive explosion? Maybe an exothermic explosion (Fuel-Air), or something else?

Nuclear weapons are measured in kilotons or megatons (i fear the day someone boasts a gigaton weapon) this is the power of the weapons, giving the equivalent weight of T.N.T ....a 1kiloton bomb = the power of 1000 tons of T.N.T

Critical mass is the mass as which a self sustained runaway reaction take place (nuclear explosion) less than critical and you'll basically have a nuclear reactor.

I could tell you how to make an impressive explosion using household items but i'm not going to because it wouldn't exactly be responsible.
If you're interested in this stuff, do a load of research and keep any ideas of putting it into practice in your head.

 

[Maxi]

Kilo = thousand

Kilotons, thousand tons.

1 ton = 1000kg

1kg = 1000 grams

Critical mass is the amount of fuel requierd for a substance to achiev fission,

 

[Thunderclap]

Okay so, in this telepathic duel, what is the one thing a guy could do that would cause the most dramatic BOOM! Chemicals present are those you would normally find in an Earth atmosphere, two human bodies, and carbon-compound swords. What could I do?

 

[Maxi]

Majics?

 

[Thunderclap]

That's the point. I want to use "majic" to cause a completely natural and scientific reaction which leads to an explosion.

But what would this reaction be? The "majic" does not use anything weird, what actually happens is completely natural, but how it is accomplished is what's unnatural.

Like using the first example. He mentally "compels" the atom to split, but then everything that happens thereafter is a natural release of energy.

 

[Maxi]

Make the swords into uranium, then have them fission.

 

[Thunderclap]

Well I proposed that, but terminator said they would have to weigh around .2 kilotons which according to my math is 200 tons, way more than even the most fit human can move.

If I could do that, that would be excellent.

 

[Raeven0]

Micropsychokinetic people could easily modify the binding energy of atoms to make fission of any atom maximally effective, and they could also direct the reaction so that an entire sample of to-be-fissioned element releases the greatest amount of energy possible.

Maybe. Micropsychokinetic people who can do that don't actually exist.

Of course, macropsychokinetic people would have little trouble picking up a 100-ton weapon...

 

[Maxi]

That wouldn't be its weight, but it's potential power measured in TNT.

IIRC the critical mass of Uranium 234 is around 2kg.

 

[Thunderclap]

Okay, cool Raeven0.
So what would the release of energy from an atom of carbon look like to the naked eye?
An atom of iron?
An atom of uranium?

And thanks MaxiKana for the clarification...and .2 kilotons of TNT would be quite impressive. Yet justifying the presence of 2kg of Uranium 234 in a sword? Why would it be there? A depleted uranium sword is feasible (or at least more feasible) than a pure Uranium core sword.

What would you suggest? Maybe a depleted uranium sword with a still pure core or maybe veins of Uranium 234?

 

[Terminator]

You misunderstood........kiloton is the explosive power you get from the explosion.

The critical mass itself (the combined weight of the 2 swords) would be much less........i couldn't tell you an exact value but 2 swords weighing 20kg? each might do it...of purest metal.

EDIT: as maxikana explained.

 

[kirovman]

Okay, cool Raeven0.
So what would the release of energy from an atom of carbon look like to the naked eye?
An atom of iron?
An atom of uranium?

A single atom? You'd not really see anything, the energy released would be somewhere on the order of 10^-12 Joules, which is pretty small really. Meaning you'd need 1000 billion Carbon atoms decaying just to get one Joule of energy. You'd get a couple of counts on a geiger meter maybe. Carbon-12 (which is normal Carbon) rarely decays as it is stable, Carbon-14 decays more commonly, but that occurs everywhere in nature, even in the Carbon in your body.
Materials like plutonium decay fairly commonly, as they are unstable. This is seen as a green glow around the metal.

The release of energy you speak of is simply a radioactive decay process.

And thanks MaxiKana for the clarification...and .2 kilotons of TNT would be quite impressive. Yet justifying the presence of 2kg of Uranium 234 in a sword? Why would it be there? A depleted uranium sword is feasible (or at least more feasible) than a pure Uranium core sword.

What would you suggest? Maybe a depleted uranium sword with a still pure core or maybe veins of Uranium 234?

I wouldn't recommend any Uranium swords, because you'd probably inhale Uranium dust, and then die of cancer. And Uranium's more expensive than gold IIRC.

 

[Thunderclap]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device%29

I looked for something with the equivalent of .2 kilotons and found this. I'm very impressed with how it would look, but just read the history of this weapon. America actually fielded an ATOMIC ROCKET LAUNCHER!?

I love my country. :heart:

I wouldn't recommend any Uranium swords, because you'd probably inhale Uranium dust,

So what would you recommend to get the explosion I'm looking for in my story?

 

[kirovman]

The FBI would shoot you before FedEx even dispatched it to you.

 

[Thunderclap]

No damn it! In the story! I'm not going to actually DO anything nuclear in real life!

 

[kirovman]

Just use Uranium I say.

 

[Thunderclap]

Uranium how?
Solid uranium swords?
A pencil-thin uranium core in an otherwise carbon or steel blade?
A nugget of uranium in the mountain a few feet below the foe's feet?

 

[kirovman]

It would probably sound better if your sword was all one material.

 

[Thunderclap]

Also, I think uranium reacts...poorly...with oxygen.

FLAMING SWORDS FTW!

 

[Terminator]

Radiation poisoning and multiple cancer FTW!

 

[Maxi]

Uranium doesn't burn.

 

[Thunderclap]

Radiation poisoning and multiple cancer FTW!

QFT!

Still...uranium swords would work for fission, but they cause a whole slew of other problems, mainly revolving around the utter pointlessness of uranium swords.

 

[Raeven0]

Uranium oxidises.

I wouldn't recommend pure carbon for a sword anyway, unless it were diamond--which would then only be necessary as a coating. Modern blades are typically steel, which contains large amounts of iron, one of the atoms with the highest binding energy of all and the least likely to produce energy even if majical low-energy iron were split, because its atomic number is so low.

You would need some really clever majix to make fission work in a swordfight. Some kind of system whereby much, much more energy can be released than typically would...

 

[HunterSeeker]

Well the mass of a single uranium atom is 238.07/6.0225 × 10^23 = 3.953009548 * 10^-22.

Now 100% energy convetion only happens in antimatter reactions (you could probubly have him turn some atoms into their antimatter equilents if you wish as when an antimatter atom clashes with a regular atoms 100% energy converstion occurs, most explosive reaction possible).

To calculate a 100% energy convertion you need to use einsteins equotion. E =mc^2.

In our case its: E = 3.953009548 * 10^-22 * 299 792 458^2 = 3.953009548 * 10^-22 * 8.987551787*10^16.

The resulting energy is: 0.00003552787803 Joule. Very little, I doubt it would be even noticible!