this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2024
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[–] nadiaraven@lemmy.world 91 points 7 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.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 47 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] max_adam@lemm.ee 1 points 6 months ago

From a hairy uranium

[–] dil@lemmy.world 30 points 7 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.

[–] aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works 12 points 7 months ago (2 children)

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

[–] rImITywR@lemmy.world 12 points 7 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.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Ironically >:3

/chaos

[–] Wilzax@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Congrats on your newly discovered element 184!

[–] KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz 2 points 6 months ago

For like a nanosecond

[–] OofShoot@beehaw.org 31 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Splitting helium requires energy. Go for Radon or something.

[–] 1993_toyota_camry@beehaw.org 14 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The purpose of a guillotine is to deliver energy

[–] OofShoot@beehaw.org 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).

[–] anton@lemmy.blahaj.zone 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.

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 months ago

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