Recent content by Cyclotron Boy

Glen Seaborg transmuted Lead into Gold in 1980. The purpose of particle accelerators is not nucleogenesis, but rather examining the internal structure of smaller things, like individual protons, neutrons, quarks, and the like.

Yep- that linear accelerator was indeed my first accelerator project. It involved extremely high voltages and vacuums, both of which can be dangerous. But most dangerous of all was the enormous amount of X-rays I was producing with my machine. Constructing a linear accelerator is quite...

Cross section As ZapperZ said, creates neutrons from the interaction of charged particles with matter. Enrico Fermi's Nobel Prize was for the production of thermal neutrons from the interaction of alphas and protons with wax, and using those neutrons to induce artificial radioactivity...

Even though I haven't read the other forums, I would suggest a Helmholtz coil. Check out http://www.netdenizen.com/emagnet/helmholtz/idealhelmholtz.htm on how the Helmholtz coil pair works.

Salt substitute is made of Potassium Chloride. 0.00118% of the K is a beta emitter at 1.3 and 1.5MeV. Otherwise, you will have to go with a commercially produced beta emitter.

Other ideas I'm quite fond of simple particle accelerators (linear accelerators, electrostatic accelerators, http://69.241.236.52/cyc2.html experiment is pretty easy to do, but sensitive. Best part about Millikan's experiment is that the apparatus is really easy to make.

Very complicated Well, there's a couple of things going on. It is true that lightning travels along the path of least resistance. However, before there is the main stroke of a lightning bolt, there are hundreds of leader tracks- low current short arcs- that "feel out" the local ionization...

A few links Check out this engine and this http://people.roma2.infn.it/~aldo/A84Moscowjpg.pdf and a little more basic explanation. Hope this helps. -F

Linear accelerators are also used to create radioactive isotopes for contrast imaging and radiotherapy. Cyclotrons are also used for this purpose. The synchrotron was invented to allow relativistic circular particle acceleration. Cyclotrons have a nonrelativistic maximum energy limit...

Radius of curvature Perhaps the calculation of the radius of curvature has you stumped. Check out this page http://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae/sag.htm From there you should be able to calculate the radius of curvature in figure 3 or 4, and the angles you can measure directly. Hope...

Brake fade When the brakes get too hot, the fluid indeed gets too warm. What happens? It boils! The brake fluid begins to boil, and gas bubbles form in the hydraulic lines. As anyone who has ever changed brake pads on a car can tell you, a hydraulic brake line with bubbles in the fluid...

Magnetic resonance, Magnetic levitation, etc. Magnetic levitation is used to lift trains (and other things) with opposing magnetic fields. Particle accelerators do not. Gravity doesn't really play in accelerators, as the particles are being held in place with forces lots stronger than...

Shot towers Check out http://www.nysata.com/historical_memorabilia/shot_towers.htm for information on the history of shot-making. As for irregularities, try and think about timing and temperature controls we have today. Good luck. -F

bubble chamber shots Try these links: Particle physics educational link Also check out the http://imglib.lbl.gov/ImgLib/welcome.html . -F

2 answers... First answer: Because Maxwell's equations are constructed that way. Second answer: Because it is what we experience. Take for example a long thin wire oriented vertically with a current moving in the up direction. This would create a B field in the (+) theta-hat direction...