private_messaging comments on Being Half-Rational About Pascal's Wager is Even Worse - Less Wrong

18 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 18 April 2013 05:20AM

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Comment author: private_messaging 18 April 2013 09:52:05PM *  3 points [-]

1: When you only know that one fissions to begin with, you can't use that.

2: You need something naturally abundant enough, and (correct me if I am wrong) there's only one, it's U-235, with an outstandingly long half life for a fissile isotope, of 700 millions years, which is still not very long (other stuff doesn't hit even a million years). I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if small adjustments to fundamental constants can change it to 2 and other small changes, 0.

edit: basically. No U-235, no bomb until you can bootstrap some sort of breeder using a particle accelerator, like, after decades and decades and decades of engineering, when all countries know the principle, but its too expensive.

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 18 April 2013 10:09:17PM 0 points [-]

But they made Pu-239 in time for WW2. Did that rely on reactor-grade U-235? Even if they did use reactor-grade U-235 to make it, could they have just stuck it near some other neutron emitter?

Comment author: private_messaging 18 April 2013 10:16:25PM *  4 points [-]

Yes, Fermi engineered the nuclear reactor (and very carefully too, with very well thought out safety system for it, just in case there would be a positive feedback of some kind), using natural uranium and graphite. Other neutron emitters would be very very very expensive. edit: e.g. an accelerator would need ridiculous amounts of electrical energy. The lab emitter used radium in combination with lithium, beryllium, or some other light nuclei, which isn't a viable route either.