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An interesting thing I didn't know until today

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    A further thought is not even nuclear fusion or fission converts all the mass into energy. Not even close. What is liberated in these processes is some of the nuclear binding energy - this is the strong nuclear force that is attracting* the nucleons together to form a nucleus of an atom. It is a fraction of the total mass of the nucleus. It is also not fixed as a ratio to the number of nucleons - the highest nuclear binding energy is for iron,** the lowest for hydrogen. Matter-antimatter collisions of mutual particle pairs can annihilate the constituents to pure energy, but these are pretty rare things (fortunately, or the universe would be basically empty of everything but liberated energy). Other than that, way of converting all mass into energy are extremely thin on the ground. And getting hold of that 1kg bag of anti-sugar*** is going to be difficult.

    * - as this is an attractive force it is a negative energy - work has to be done against it to pull everything apart. Gravity is also attractive, so also regard a negative quantity in the same way. This is not just a handy conceptualisation to aid comprehension, but an actually measurable phenomenon; protons and neutrons each have an individual mass. But if you sum together the masses of all the protons and neutrons making up a particular atom, and then weigh the atom to confirm your sums are right, then the atom always comes out underweight. This is the negative nuclear binding energy manifesting itself as a negative mass (E = m . c^2 again...).
    ** - that there is a maximum which is why supernovas happen (everything tends towards iron). Once you get to the maximum, you can't fuse that and get energy out - it takes energy in instead. If a star gets to the point of having iron as the fuel supply to fuse, it implodes.
    *** - sugar formed of molecules whose atoms consist of positrons, antiprotons and antineutrons.
    Last edited by Janik; 25-11-2022, 09:57.

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      To step back, given that converting a 1kg bag of sugar to its pure energy state is a theoretical only possibility without an even vaguely convictable practical implementation, I wonder what point NS's energy supplier was trying to make by referencing it?

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        I'm not sure whether the lesson is some people can make anything look good or not all Krismas Jumpers are terrible. I think the former.

        https://twitter.com/BBW_BFF/status/1341171386178363392

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          Originally posted by Janik View Post
          To step back, given that converting a 1kg bag of sugar to its pure energy state is a theoretical only possibility without an even vaguely convictable practical implementation, I wonder what point NS's energy supplier was trying to make by referencing it?

          Thanks for the explanations EEG and Janik.

          My energy supplier has a "wheel of fortune" game that allows you to win some extra credit. One go per month when you submit your meter readings. If you don't win they sugar that bitter pill (did you see what I etc.) with an interesting factoid.

          Comfortingly, converting a bag of sugar into pure energy wasn't in their "Helpful hints to save money this winter" section.

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            Originally posted by Gregario View Post
            I'm not sure whether the lesson is some people can make anything look good or not all Krismas Jumpers are terrible. I think the former.

            https://twitter.com/BBW_BFF/status/1341171386178363392

            I confused Mifune with Yukio Mishima for a minute there and was a bit surprised to see a Japanese nationalist modelling a Christmas woolie.
            Last edited by Nocturnal Submission; 26-11-2022, 23:04.

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              Originally posted by Janik View Post
              To step back, given that converting a 1kg bag of sugar to its pure energy state is a theoretical only possibility without an even vaguely convictable practical implementation, I wonder what point NS's energy supplier was trying to make by referencing it?
              It should also be noted that if we're purely converting mass to energy, then it matters not one iota what's in the bag, It doesn't need to be sugar. It can be a 1kg bag of petrol or dogshit or diamonds with an identical outcome.

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                You must be the only poster that has Janik on ignore

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                  It appears that I'm channeling my inner Guy.

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                    If energy equals mass squared, explain the lack of energy shown by Jon Parkin...

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                      While enjoying a chirimoya just now, I looked up info on them. Evidently, the seeds are poisonous when crushed. They are used in insecticide.

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                        Originally posted by Sporting View Post
                        While enjoying a chirimoya just now, I looked up info on them. Evidently, the seeds are poisonous when crushed. They are used in insecticide.
                        I didn't know until just then that those fruit are called chirimoya. I saw them all the time in South America, and think I tried them but wasn't a fan, but I had no idea what they were called.

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                          Plenty of elements are named for places, often the location of the sample that lead to the new discovery being isolated and identified. Ytterby is Sweden is the basis for four elemental names alone. But only one element is named after somewhere in the British Isles. I’ll leave that hanging until tomorrow morning in case someone else already knows what place this is...

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                            Originally posted by MrLeam View Post
                            If energy equals mass squared, explain the lack of energy shown by Jon Parkin...
                            Oh that is simple - so much has been condensed into mass he has unusually limited free energy left to offer.

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                              Originally posted by Janik View Post
                              Plenty of elements are named for places, often the location of the sample that lead to the new discovery being isolated and identified. Ytterby is Sweden is the basis for four elemental names alone. But only one element is named after somewhere in the British Isles. I’ll leave that hanging until tomorrow morning in case someone else already knows what place this is...
                              I thought it might be Dubnium, but no. Got there in the end, but only by deduction. Great pub quiz question.

                              When i was lucky enough to have time at work to piss about I loved the Sporcle Periodic Table quiz and regularly got 114 out of 118, although that was about six years ago when they still had ununoctium and the other as then unnamed ones. Tried it just now and got 93, so not too bad.

                              I could never remember how to spell praseodymium.
                              ​​​​​​​

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                                Originally posted by Janik View Post
                                Plenty of elements are named for places, often the location of the sample that lead to the new discovery being isolated and identified. Ytterby is Sweden is the basis for four elemental names alone. But only one element is named after somewhere in the British Isles. I’ll leave that hanging until tomorrow morning in case someone else already knows what place this is...
                                Is it Strontium? I think there's somewhere in the Hebrides, or Shetlands, with that name. Or one like it.

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                                  Everyone in my office is full of cuntium.

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                                    Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post

                                    Is it Strontium? I think there's somewhere in the Hebrides, or Shetlands, with that name. Or one like it.
                                    Yeah it came up in another thread recently

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                                      Yup, strontium after the village of Strontian, which was where the ore it was isolated from (strontianite) was discovered. Strontian is on the mainland of Scotland, but very much in the Highlands.

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                                        Originally posted by Janik View Post
                                        Plenty of elements are named for places, often the location of the sample that lead to the new discovery being isolated and identified. Ytterby is Sweden is the basis for four elemental names alone. But only one element is named after somewhere in the British Isles. I’ll leave that hanging until tomorrow morning in case someone else already knows what place this is...
                                        I know and I've been to the place. There's not much there. Can't remember if there were any dogs.

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                                          Ah it's already been answered. Strontian is not far from Ardnamuchan lighthouse, the most westerly mainland lighthouse in Britain, fact fans.

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                                            Does this mean that Johnny Alpha is Scottish, then?

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                                              Originally posted by The Mighty Trin View Post

                                              I thought it might be Dubnium, but no. Got there in the end, but only by deduction. Great pub quiz question.

                                              When i was lucky enough to have time at work to piss about I loved the Sporcle Periodic Table quiz and regularly got 114 out of 118, although that was about six years ago when they still had ununoctium and the other as then unnamed ones. Tried it just now and got 93, so not too bad.

                                              I could never remember how to spell praseodymium.
                                              ​​​​​​​
                                              Challenge - without looking it up, name the four whose name stems from Ytterby.

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                                                Yttrium springs directly to mind, can't think of the others.

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                                                  Originally posted by Toby Gymshorts View Post
                                                  Does this mean that Johnny Alpha is Scottish, then?
                                                  Well like I said, I didn't see any dogs there

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                                                    So you did, I missed that.

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