Recent content by lowellite

  1. L

    Confused about image size in plane, concave, or convex mirrors

    So I know these equations 1/f = 1/p + 1/i m = -i/p f: focal length p: object distance from mirror i: image distance from mirror m: magnification Let's say that I have an object in front of a concave or convex mirror with the same |f|. p is much larger than the radius of curvature...
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    Bricklayer problem (involves springs)

    Homework Statement An ingenious bricklayer builds a device for shooting bricks up to the top of the wall where he is working. He places a brick on a verticle compressed spring with force constant k=450N/m and negligible mass. When the spring is released, the brick is propelled upward. If the...
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    Water and Uranium-235 Reactivity in W88 Secondary: Safety Concerns Explained

    Thanks for so patiently explaining this to me. It's a great help, but sometimes I feel like the more information I get, the more questions I have! ;) So if fissile materials tend to blow themselves apart if they undergo fission for too long, how are nuclear bombs engineered to release all of...
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    Water and Uranium-235 Reactivity in W88 Secondary: Safety Concerns Explained

    Thanks so much for the explanation, everyone. So basically, the water is slowing down the fast neutrons released by the radioactive decay of uranium-235, thus exponentially increasing the speed of the fission reaction? (And beryllium can also supply neutrons when hit by alpha particles...
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    Water and Uranium-235 Reactivity in W88 Secondary: Safety Concerns Explained

    Do you know where these neutrons come from? I thought the neutrons come from the fission reaction of the primary, but dropping the warhead in water wouldn't set off the primary, right?
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    Water and Uranium-235 Reactivity in W88 Secondary: Safety Concerns Explained

    (I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong section of the forum) I found an article online describing the safety concerns of the W88 thermonuclear warhead. Apparently, water can turn the uranium-235 coating of the W88's secondary into a "runaway boiling hot water reactor" (not sure what...
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