Recent content by cragwolf

Why does "resonance" greatly increase the likelihood of the triple alpha process? Why does the fact that the combined energy of 8Be and 4He is (almost) the same as the energy of an excited state of 12C greatly increase the probability of that reaction (i.e. 8Be + 4He → 12C + stuff) occurring...

That estimate is not too far off the graph I found. At 10 years, the graph shows 10 Terabecquerels per kg.

In http://jol.liljenzin.se/KAPITEL/CONTENT.HTM" I found the following graph: http://i.imgur.com/mN9ri.png It shows the radioactivity of fission products per kg of initially present heavy metal (IHM) in spent PWR fuel at 33 MWd/kg burnup. It seems that after roughly a day we have 1015...

I want to know how much radioactivity in Becquerels is produced by a typical light water reactor in one year of operation. I don't know how one would go about estimating this number. I found one reference that said 27 tons of spent fuel are generated by a typical reactor per year. But I...

The implication of the Wikipedia article is 100%, real-time and not just eventually, i.e. it's on a Joules/sec (Watts) basis. For if you accept their number of 9.2 x 1037 proton-proton chain reactions per second, and ignore the CNO cycle, you come up with an energy-generated number that exactly...

Does all (i.e. 100%) of the energy generated in the Sun's core via nuclear fusion eventually escape out into space (as photons, neutrinos, ... and umm solar wind?), or is some energy lost to internal processes? Surely the photons must lose energy as they take their long, indirect path from the...

Heheh, I purposely chose a rather vague measure because I'm not sure what I remember of my mathematical education. Thanks for the information. Looks like I'll need to study up on real analysis and complex analysis. For real analysis I'm deciding between Undergraduate Analysis by Serge Lang...

I am wondering what are the prerequisites required for learning the theory behind Riemann's zeta function, starting from a base of mathematics that an average physics graduate might have. In particular, I want to be able to understand a book like this...

Indeed you're right, about me and the Moon. Thanks for the hint, I'm going to look at it again when I get home from work.

I'm trying to estimate the ratio of the flux of sunlight to moonlight (at full moon). What I'm interested in is if I'm doing the physics right. I know what the solar flux is at the surface of the Earth (actually, just outside the atmosphere): roughly 1400 Watts/m^2. I can actually calculate that...

The anarchist FAQ is here: http://www.infoshop.org/faq/ Anarchists have an optimistic view of human beings. I like anarchists, I don't like most human beings.

Yes, do not trust popular notions of anything. Science is not immune from its own historical myths and biases, even including recent affairs like the Sokal hoax. A very good article on the subject of the Galileo affair can be found here: http://www.galilean-library.org/galileo1.html Doubt...

What's wrong with LaTeX? Get yourself a decent syntax-highlighting editor (too numerous and platform-dependent to mention just one) and a good LaTeX manual by your side, and you're set.

I find it better to avoid the stealth, come right out immediately and say to her, "Oi, you rollicking, trolloping little sauce-bottle! Your luck's in! Trip along to my place with all your cash, and some naughty night attire, and you'll be staring at my bedroom ceiling from now till Christmas...

I'm proud of a few individuals in my country. Not necessarily everything about them, because everyone has their warts. But proud of my country? No, I leave such primitive emotions for the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei and other völkisch movements of their ilk that have plagued...