High school student builds fusion reactor

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General909

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#1 General909
Member since 2007 • 541 Posts
High school student Thiago Olson has gone beyond basic physics class. Way beyond. Using parts and materials scrounged from the local hardware story and eBay, Olson built a working fusion reactor. In November 2006, a few tiny bubbles in his neutron dosimeter told him that he'd achieved success: Fusing hydrogen nuclei into helium.

While it takes far more energy to run than it produces, Olson's nuclear reactor is pretty bad-ass, producing 200 million-degree plasma at its core -- or, as Olson points out, “several times hotter than the core of the sun.”

Now that's an impressive hack.




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LA_lakers_4life

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#2 LA_lakers_4life
Member since 2006 • 7051 Posts
i saw that story on inside edition a couple months ago.....
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Bourbons3

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#3 Bourbons3
Member since 2003 • 24238 Posts
wow, too much spare time :lol:
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Dashtal

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#4 Dashtal
Member since 2007 • 748 Posts
I'd be impressed if it was a cold-fusion reactor.
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LA_lakers_4life

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#5 LA_lakers_4life
Member since 2006 • 7051 Posts
I'd be impressed if it was acold-fusion reactor.Dashtal
which is hypothetically impossible to achieve if im not mistaken
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CJL13

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#6 CJL13
Member since 2005 • 19137 Posts
Enter it into a Science Fair! :P
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Dashtal

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#7 Dashtal
Member since 2007 • 748 Posts
[QUOTE="Dashtal"]I'd be impressed if it was a cold-fusion reactor.LA_lakers_4life
which is hypothetically impossible to achieve if im not mistaken


Wich is why i'd be impressed ;)
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nickmag

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#8 nickmag
Member since 2006 • 6710 Posts
Someones getting an A
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LA_lakers_4life

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#9 LA_lakers_4life
Member since 2006 • 7051 Posts
[QUOTE="LA_lakers_4life"][QUOTE="Dashtal"]I'd be impressed if it was acold-fusion reactor.Dashtal
which is hypothetically impossible to achieve if im not mistaken


Wich is why i'd be impressed ;)

what if he put it in a freezer? would that count? :P
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General909

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#10 General909
Member since 2007 • 541 Posts
[QUOTE="Dashtal"][QUOTE="LA_lakers_4life"][QUOTE="Dashtal"]I'd be impressed if it was a cold-fusion reactor.LA_lakers_4life
which is hypothetically impossible to achieve if im not mistaken


Wich is why i'd be impressed ;)

what if he put it in a freezer? would that count? :P



I lol
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branketra

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#11 branketra
Member since 2006 • 51726 Posts
That kid is going to become Dr. Doom. That's fricken brilliant.
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MagnumPI

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#12 MagnumPI
Member since 2002 • 9617 Posts
wow, too much spare time :lol:Bourbons3
  Yes, some people have that. "Gee, what should I do? I KNOW! I'll build a fusion reactor." :evil:
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#13 Proobie44
Member since 2006 • 5663 Posts
wow, too much spare time :lol:Bourbons3
Did they ever heard of something called a girlfriend or even........outside?
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EvanSkanes

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#14 EvanSkanes
Member since 2004 • 10942 Posts
What in the hell is a fusion reactor?
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AsinineZomg

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#15 AsinineZomg
Member since 2006 • 709 Posts
[QUOTE="Bourbons3"]wow, too much spare time :lol:MagnumPI
Yes, some people have that. "Gee, what should I do? I KNOW! I'll build a fusion reactor." :evil:

Feeling impotent, are we?
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Brainkiller05

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#16 Brainkiller05
Member since 2005 • 28954 Posts
And what is the purpose of a fusion reactor? :?
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squidder_doa

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#17 squidder_doa
Member since 2006 • 3631 Posts

Good skills....I'll bet he can't use a tin opener properly though...

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LA_lakers_4life

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#18 LA_lakers_4life
Member since 2006 • 7051 Posts
And what is the purpose of a fusion reactor? :?Brainkiller05
to create a fusion reaction....duuh....
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MagnumPI

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#19 MagnumPI
Member since 2002 • 9617 Posts

[QUOTE="MagnumPI"][QUOTE="Bourbons3"]wow, too much spare time :lol:AsinineZomg
Yes, some people have that. "Gee, what should I do? I KNOW! I'll build a fusion reactor." :evil:

Feeling impotent, are we?

  I don't know about you, but I'm not.

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Erasorn

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#20 Erasorn
Member since 2004 • 14502 Posts
I was going to say "Whoa, that's metal", but I realised that the term would be inapropriate at this moment so.. Whoa, that's Helium! :o
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quiglythegreat

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#21 quiglythegreat
Member since 2006 • 16886 Posts
...he clearly didn't create fusion. That's something that billion dollar reactors with the world's top scientists can't do.
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branketra

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#22 branketra
Member since 2006 • 51726 Posts
What in the hell is a fusion reactor?EvanSkanes
A closed circuit-device that uses extremely high temparatures to fuse atoms. The sun. :\ The opposite effect of an atomic bomb, or fission. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power
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#23 AbstractTerror
Member since 2006 • 1212 Posts
What in the hell is a fusion reactor?EvanSkanes
Lol :P
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quiglythegreat

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#24 quiglythegreat
Member since 2006 • 16886 Posts
And what is the purpose of a fusion reactor? :?Brainkiller05
Fusion, once achieved, would cause the atoms to go off at very, very high speeds, generating tremendous amounts of heat. The idea is that fusion reactors could be the new nuclear power plants in maybe 50 years.
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bungie091

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#25 bungie091
Member since 2004 • 9003 Posts
Did i say i had my fusion reactor stolen last month?

... Theiving little bastard!
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Sir_Marwin

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#26 Sir_Marwin
Member since 2006 • 9734 Posts
Did i say i had my fusion reactor stolen last month?

... Theiving little bastard!
bungie091

:o we must report this, that guy is a phoney
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#27 EvanSkanes
Member since 2004 • 10942 Posts
[QUOTE="Brainkiller05"]And what is the purpose of a fusion reactor? :?quiglythegreat
Fusion, once achieved, would cause the atoms to go off at very, very high speeds, generating tremendous amounts of heat. The idea is that fusion reactors could be the new nuclear power plants in maybe 50 years.

So it's safe I guess?
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#28 squidder_doa
Member since 2006 • 3631 Posts

[QUOTE="bungie091"]Did i say i had my fusion reactor stolen last month?

... Theiving little bastard!
Sir_Marwin

:o we must report this, that guy is a phoney

hey, he's a great big PHONEY!  *Spray paints "PHONEY" on his car....

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GenTom

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#29 GenTom
Member since 2005 • 5945 Posts

[QUOTE="Sir_Marwin"][QUOTE="bungie091"]Did i say i had my fusion reactor stolen last month?

... Theiving little bastard!
squidder_doa


:o we must report this, that guy is a phoney

hey, he's a great big PHONEY!  *Spray paints "PHONEY" on his car....

Dude, thats MY CAR!!!

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Brainkiller05

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#30 Brainkiller05
Member since 2005 • 28954 Posts
If it's hotter than the core of the sun then why didn't the little kids house melt.
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quiglythegreat

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#31 quiglythegreat
Member since 2006 • 16886 Posts
[QUOTE="quiglythegreat"][QUOTE="Brainkiller05"]And what is the purpose of a fusion reactor? :?EvanSkanes
Fusion, once achieved, would cause the atoms to go off at very, very high speeds, generating tremendous amounts of heat. The idea is that fusion reactors could be the new nuclear power plants in maybe 50 years.

So it's safe I guess?

Theoretically it's extremely safe because it's not a chain reaction. The trick is to contain the atoms once they speed off. Scientists figured out that these atoms are susceptible to magnetic fields, so most reactors try to use magnets to try to contain it. And that's only half the trick. You need temperatures as hot as the sun to start off fusion.
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#32 foxhound_fox
Member since 2005 • 98532 Posts
Weird... I thought fusion had not been achieved yet...
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#33 Disturbed_Dude
Member since 2004 • 3777 Posts
Doesn't the fact that it takes more energy to produce the reaction than what energy is created defeat the whole purpose of the machine? I'm sure the top scientists of the world have done this already with more efficiency.
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#34 ncderek
Member since 2004 • 5513 Posts
thats crazy. i dont even see how you could start on a project like that. where to begin. i guess thats good for when the sun dies
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Account_27

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#35 Account_27
Member since 2005 • 13426 Posts
Did he get an A?
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AARONRULZ1

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#36 AARONRULZ1
Member since 2006 • 6273 Posts
Holy ****ing ****!!!!! none of us can build something comparable...
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#37 nickyb628
Member since 2005 • 10303 Posts
wow, too much spare time :lol:Bourbons3
i think not.
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#38 nickyb628
Member since 2005 • 10303 Posts
Doesn't the fact that it takes more energy to produce the reaction than what energy is created defeat the whole purpose of the machine? I'm sure the top scientists of the world have done this already with more efficiency. Disturbed_Dude
obviously, but this is a high school level student, so its fascinating :)
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#39 Poetically_Just
Member since 2007 • 441 Posts
[QUOTE="LA_lakers_4life"][QUOTE="Dashtal"][QUOTE="LA_lakers_4life"][QUOTE="Dashtal"]I'd be impressed if it was a cold-fusion reactor.General909
which is hypothetically impossible to achieve if im not mistaken


Wich is why i'd be impressed ;)

what if he put it in a freezer? would that count? :P



I lol

me 2 :lol:
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#40 Gog
Member since 2002 • 16376 Posts

Doesn't the fact that it takes more energy to produce the reaction than what energy is created defeat the whole purpose of the machine? I'm sure the top scientists of the world have done this already with more efficiency. Disturbed_Dude

All existing fusion reactors so far require more energy that they can produce. A prototype fusion plant is being built in Cadarache, France that will be the first plant to produce more energy than it consumes although commercial plants are still a few decades away.

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MCH

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#41 MCH
Member since 2003 • 972 Posts
Won't he have been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation? He'll be growing a second head or third eye or something soon!
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MagnumPI

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#42 MagnumPI
Member since 2002 • 9617 Posts

[QUOTE="Disturbed_Dude"]Doesn't the fact that it takes more energy to produce the reaction than what energy is created defeat the whole purpose of the machine? I'm sure the top scientists of the world have done this already with more efficiency. nickyb628
obviously, but this is a high school level student, so its fascinating :)

  Fascinating? Sure kids don't understand many of thing because they don't have much worldy experience, but they aren't dumb.

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soroush7

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#43 soroush7
Member since 2003 • 1968 Posts
To get an A, all he had to do was build a Volcano..but noo...
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#44 real45
Member since 2006 • 548 Posts

[QUOTE="nickyb628"][QUOTE="Disturbed_Dude"]Doesn't the fact that it takes more energy to produce the reaction than what energy is created defeat the whole purpose of the machine? I'm sure the top scientists of the world have done this already with more efficiency. MagnumPI

obviously, but this is a high school level student, so its fascinating :)

Fascinating? Sure kids don't understand many of thing because they don't have much worldy experience, but they aren't dumb.

Or stupid as some want them.

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Guiltfeeder566

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#45 Guiltfeeder566
Member since 2005 • 10068 Posts

To get an A, all he had to do was build a Volcano..but noo...soroush7

i loled

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Guiltfeeder566

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#46 Guiltfeeder566
Member since 2005 • 10068 Posts

I can just imagine the looks on his teachers faces as they pass by the projects.

"what is that!?"

"a fusion reactor..."

"WTF!?!?!"