On Thu, May 30, 2013 at 1:26 PM, Jed Rothwell <jedrothw...@gmail.com> wrote:
If we are going to do analogies, a more useful one would be to compare the > Rossi reactor to an internal combustion engine ICE. With an ICE you have to > apply the spark periodically to small portions of the fuel to trigger the > reaction. Cude is demanding we find a way to ignite the entire tank of fuel > with the spark plug once, and then have the car run normally after that. > This does not work. The car goes up in flames, similar to the way Rossi's > reactor melts. > Yes, and only in a diesel engine do you not need a battery to keep spark plugs going. Demanding a self-sustaining device is like demanding a diesel engine. ICEs were first developed in the 1860s, and the diesel engine was invented in 1893, several decades later. I don't think that necessarily implies a similar period of development at this time, since we know so much about heat engines. But I think the only reasonable assumption is that it would be nontrivial for Rossi get his device to be self-sustaining. Eric
