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Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by greenavocado on Friday May 09, 2025 @03:17PM (#43940104)
With this process we could produce about 65.4g of gold with the energy needed to boil the entire ocean once to full vaporization.

The Earth's oceans contain approximately 1.4 x 10^21 kilograms of water, which equals 1.4 x 10^24 grams. The average ocean temperature is about 3.5 degrees Celsius, and we need to heat it to the boiling point of seawater at approximately 100 degrees Celsius, for a temperature difference of 96.5 degrees Celsius. Seawater has a specific heat capacity of about 3.93 joules per gram per degree Celsius. To calculate the energy needed to raise the temperature, we multiply the mass by the specific heat capacity and the temperature difference: 1.4 x 10^24 grams x 3.93 joules per gram per degree Celsius x 96.5 degrees Celsius = 5.3 x 10^27 joules.

After reaching the boiling point, we need additional energy to vaporize the water. The heat of vaporization for water is approximately 2,260 joules per gram. Multiplying this by the ocean's mass gives us 1.4 x 10^24 grams x 2,260 joules per gram = 3.2 x 10^27 joules. Adding these two energy requirements together, we get 5.3 x 10^27 joules + 3.2 x 10^27 joules = 8.5 x 10^27 joules total to completely boil the ocean. Now, for the LHC gold production calculation. The LHC produces gold at a rate of 10^-11 grams per year and consumes about 1.3 x 10^15 joules of energy annually. To produce 1 gram of gold would take 10^11 years of operation, requiring 1.3 x 10^15 joules per year x 10^11 years = 1.3 x 10^26 joules of energy. Comparing this to the energy needed to boil the ocean (8.5 x 10^27 joules), we calculate 1.3 x 10^26 joules divided by 8.5 x 10^27 joules = 0.0153. This means the energy needed to produce 1 gram of gold via the LHC would boil only about 1.53% of the ocean. Conversely, the energy required to boil the entire ocean once could produce approximately 65.4 grams of gold using the LHC process.

Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by serf on Friday May 09, 2025 @03:56PM (#43940380)
as I have thought with the other numerous "boiled earth" comparisons i've read in the past few weeks : who cares? In what case is this a useful way to describe something to anyone? since when does a laymen comprehend the size of the earth in any meaningful way?

aside : it's funny how many wordy multi-step unit conversion comparisons have flooded the discussion space post-LLM... I'm sure that's unrelated.

Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by greenavocado on Friday May 09, 2025 @04:02PM (#43940408)
I find multiples of the amount of energy needed to vaporize our oceans a useful unit of energy because 8.5 x 10^27 joules is too abstract.

It's just like 1 AU being the average Sun-Earth distance. It is easier to comprehend than 149,597,870,700 m when talking about large distances.

Many discussions recently have centered around processes which require tremendous amounts of energy and the vaporized oceans unit provides some more tangible if absurd perspective.

Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by nandomrumber on Friday May 09, 2025 @05:08PM (#43940881)
And remember, 1 AU is about 997.3 billion bananas laid end to end.
Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by greenavocado on Friday May 09, 2025 @05:40PM (#43941163)
How do you define the major axis of a banana?
Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by nandomrumber on Friday May 09, 2025 @06:51PM (#43941660)
The longest dimension.
Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by jaeckel on Friday May 09, 2025 @05:37PM (#43941144)
In a straight line?
Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by nandomrumber on Friday May 09, 2025 @06:52PM (#43941661)
Yes, laid end to end, after they've been bent.

If you were to lay them end to then, then bend the them, you'd have a coil of bananas about three to four bananas (bent) in diameter.

Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by aledalgrande on Friday May 09, 2025 @07:56PM (#43942049)
How big of a burger could you sizzle with that energy?
Re:ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC by greenavocado on Friday May 09, 2025 @09:02PM (#43942413)
Hard to say because if you wanted to cook it properly but still apply the energy of the vaporized oceans the size would have to be so massive that it would collapse upon itself due to its own gravity and initiate nuclear fusion