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Talk:Cockcroft and Walton Experiment

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A few questions for Aschlafly regarding this experiment

I'd appreciate an answer by Aschlafly (and him alone) to the following questions:

1. Do you accept that the mass of the Lithium-kernel (7Li), of alpha-particles (4He) and of protons (1H) can be measured fairly accurately, as these are charged particles?

2. Do you accept the measurements for the mass of the particles as used by Cockcroft¹ and Walton, i.e.

particle mass
1H 1.0072 amu
4He 4.0011 amu
7Li 7.0130 amu

If not, which values do you think to be right?

3. Do you agree that before the reaction the mass of the particles involved was 8.0202 amu?

4. Do you agree that after the reaction the mass of the particles involved is 8.00220 amu?

5. Do you agree that there is a mass decrease of 0.0180 amu?

6. Before the experiment, the Li was at rest and the proton had a kinetic energy of less than 1MeV. Do you accept these values?

7. After the experiment, a pair of alpha-particles was observed, both having an kinetic energy of 8.6MeV. Do you think that this value is correct?

8. Can you tell me where the mass went? Can you tell me where the energy came from?

9. If your answer to question 8. is no in both accounts, than my answer is that there is a theory which explains the conversion of mass to energy, even if you don't like it!

As this theory works for this experiment, and for all the other fissions and fusions, it isn't liberal claptrap, but a meaningful theory. And you can't blame physicists for using it! Of course, you can blame journalist to abuse the formula - but this isn't the result of liberal physics, but of bad reporting, as an abuse of the dictum 1+1=2 doesn't reflect badly on number-theorists, but only on the person misattributing it.

AugustO 01:01, 23 January 2013 (EST)

This experiment by John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton is claimed by some physicists as demonstrating that E=mc2.

This experiment by John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton is claimed by some physicists as demonstrating that E=mc2.

This should read is claimed by virtually all physicists: I added a fact-tag to the some until at least a few (2-3) physicists are found who think that it doesn't demonstrate the equation! I don't know any who hold such a belief... --AugustO 19:28, 23 January 2013 (EST)

  • Instead, a hand-waving claim was made that an excess in kinetic energy of the resultant helium nuclei, which is greater than the energy of the original nuclei, must be attributable to a loss in mass. See (and answer!) # A few questions for Aschlafly regarding this experiment! There is no hand-waving, the loss of mass is observed!
  • But in fact the overall energy expended to attain this transmutation is greater than the energy produced by it. Yes, as most accelerated protons just go through the target - it isn't in the nature of physical experiments to be energy efficient!

That isn't a very promising start! --AugustO 00:56, 24 January 2013 (EST)

But in fact the overall energy expended to attain this transmutation is greater than the energy produced by it

Andrew Schlafly, I hope you know that this means only that the experiment is not very effective, and not that it failed to show that in a single actual transmutation a comparatively great amount of energy (17.6 MeV) is released... --AugustO 15:30, 6 February 2013 (EST)