1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tech stuff from how 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hey what everyone, and welcome to 3 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: text Stuff. I'm Jonathan Strickland and I'm Lauren Volkslam. And 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: today we want to talk about a science fiction ee 5 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: kind of thing. This is not our our promised Independence 6 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: Day extravaganza. It seems that people are really into the 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: idea of us kind of taking a movie and just 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: deconstructing all the technical issues that we have with it. 9 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:34,879 Speaker 1: But we just want to talk about something else, some 10 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: science fiction e kind of technology that maybe is not 11 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: so practical. That's plasma weapons, right, And this is partially 12 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: because I am still really bitter that I cannot end 13 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: conversations that I don't like having by sticking a plasma 14 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: grenade down someone's face and running away giggling. Is it 15 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: a spider? Get it off? No, it's not spider, it's 16 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: glowing blue. Is a blue spider? Get it off? It's 17 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: for my red versus Blue fans out there. Yeah, so 18 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,039 Speaker 1: plasma weapons is one of those staples in science fiction. 19 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: But before we kind of talk about what plasma weapons are, 20 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: it helps for us to actually think about what plasma is. Yes, 21 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: here in the reality world, that we live in. Yeah, 22 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: the place where you and I spend all our time, well, 23 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: well most of our time, not half and half of 24 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: our time, Okay. In this world, plasma is one of 25 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: the four phases of matter, the others being solid, liquid, 26 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: and gas. And in fact, plasma is the most plentiful 27 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: of all these stages of matter. Just not here on Earth, no, 28 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: not not so much. But when you look at things 29 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: like stars which are many, many, many times larger than Earth, 30 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: that's what those are made out of. That's that's all plasma. Yeah, 31 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: So it's ionized gas. Now that doesn't necessarily mean anything 32 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: to you if you haven't had a science course in 33 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: a really long time, or maybe you just haven't gotten 34 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: to that one yet, since we have listeners of all 35 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: ages up there. So an ionized gas means that those 36 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: atoms that are in the gas are made up of 37 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: neutral particles. Uh. Then you have ions, which are atoms 38 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: that have either gained or lost electrons. In the case 39 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: of plasma, we're talking about losing electrons, and then you've 40 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 1: got electron zipping around. So the ions are positively charged, 41 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: the electrons are negatively charged um, and it's all moving 42 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: around in this high energy gas. That also means that 43 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: electricity can actually flow through plasma. Plasma itself is a conductor. Yes, 44 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: they're also affected by magnetic fields. Yeah, because whenever you 45 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: have charges, then that means that it can respond to 46 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: some sort of magnetic field. We've talked many, many times 47 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: about the relationship between electric and magnetic fields. Uh, this 48 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: is the case with plasma. So if you have a 49 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 1: plasma and you have a strong magnetic field, you can 50 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: actually guide that plasma in a way or or or 51 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: immobilize it or compress it, which is really important in 52 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: some of the applications. But we'll talk about the applications 53 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: in a in just a minute. So, plasma stars make 54 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: it through huge amounts of heat. I mean you have 55 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: to you have to really take gas and add energy 56 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: to it to turn gas into a plasma. And energy 57 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be heat. Uh. You know, for example, 58 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: have florescent bulbs have have plasma in them, and they 59 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: are obviously not that hot, so certainly not as hot 60 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: as the surface of the sun or even an incandescent bulb. 61 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: So how do we make plasma? So it does require 62 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: that we add energy, uh, and like you said, it 63 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be heat. It can be in the 64 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: form of electricity, which is what we see with fluorescent 65 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: light bulbs. It's also what we see with things like 66 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: plasma torches, and we'll explain more about how those working 67 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: a little bit. But um, I want to read this 68 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: out because I got a little silly when I was 69 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: writing my notes. Already enjoyed. I enjoyed this note. Yes, 70 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: and I don't know what was in my coffee when 71 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: I started writing this one, but what I specifically wrote 72 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: my notes was you make plasma by adding energy to 73 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: a gas until electrons strip free of the atoms in 74 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: the gas, and you've got ions and electrons having a 75 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: sub atomic janet Reno dance party. So that's all my 76 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: for all my Starday Night Live friends out there who 77 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: watched in the nineties like I did. Yes, yeah, it's 78 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: it's it's basically just the nuclei of these atoms and 79 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: and the electrons all going we yeah, especially if it's 80 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: something like hydrogen, because then all you have our protons, 81 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: which are positively charged subotomic particles, and electrons, which are 82 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: the negatively charged subatomic particles zipping around. Now, uh, plasma 83 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: does not necessarily have to just be hydrogen gas. It 84 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: can really be any gas if you add enough UH 85 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,840 Speaker 1: energy to it to turn it into a plasma. It's 86 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: just hydrogen is the one we think of because that's 87 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: what the Sun is made out of. Sun is actually 88 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: using hydrogen gas. It's got this this plasma hydrogen that 89 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: then fuses into helium. And that's the fusion process that 90 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: we see in the Sun that we hope one day 91 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: we can harness here on Earth or yes, harness, Yeah, 92 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: not replicate. We already replicate it right inefficiently. Yeah, it's not. Yeah, Unfortunately, 93 00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: the amount of energy we have to pour into replicating 94 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: it is more than what we get out of it. 95 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: So therefore it's not a good energy source. But it's 96 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: a pretty light show. We are hoping that we can 97 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: make the energy source. And if you've listened to our 98 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: fusion episode, you know what we're talking about. Well, we'll 99 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: cover it a little bit more in a in a 100 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: second too. So, yeah, we use UH an electric current 101 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: apply to the gas to get that energy that's necessary 102 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: to make the electrons pop off these these uh atoms, 103 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:26,919 Speaker 1: turning them into ions. So in the case with like 104 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: a plasma torch, you've got these electrodes that create the 105 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 1: negative charge when you bring that torch in contact with 106 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: positively charged metal surface. So for example, a big old 107 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: hunk of iron, you complete the right and then that 108 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: allows the negative particles to move towards the positive particles. 109 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: In the process, you're injecting the torch with compressed air. 110 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: That compressed air comes into contact with this incredibly powerful 111 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: electric charge, turns into a plasma, burns super super hot, 112 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: and that's what allows you to cut through like a 113 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:03,839 Speaker 1: and uh. And that's just one example of how we 114 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: use the the plasma here on our planet. Not all 115 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:10,480 Speaker 1: of them are so violent that one is actually kind 116 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,160 Speaker 1: of awesome. There are other uses for plasma torches. We'll 117 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: talk about two. So when we're talking about a plasma 118 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: like that, like in the case of a plasma torch, 119 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: you're talking about creating a a ionized gas there's actually 120 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: hotter than the surface of the sun in some cases. 121 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: So how do you contain something like that very carefully? Right, 122 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: because if you don't, you just burn everything up? Well? Actually, fortunately, uh, 123 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: once once plasma gets away from its energy source, it 124 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: cools down very rapidly. Yeah, because you have to keep 125 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: pouring energy in to maintain that plasma state. You know 126 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: with the sun, it's just it's got that heat going 127 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: for it. That's what keeps it going. Here on Earth. 128 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: We would have to continue either applying heat or electricity 129 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,480 Speaker 1: to maintain that plasma. If we didn't, it would start 130 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: to lose energy, and as it lost energy, it would 131 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 1: start to convert into a normal gas as opposed to 132 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,799 Speaker 1: a plasma um. And also if we wanted to maintain 133 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: that that energy and keep the plasma going, we could 134 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: control it with magnetic fields. Not the band which you know, 135 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: I love Book of Love, great song, but that's not 136 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: what we're talking about. We're talking about actual magnetic fields. 137 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: You could use those like electro magnets. You could use 138 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: electromagnets to control and contain plasma because as we said before, 139 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: the electrical charge of the plasma reacts to the magnetic field. Right, 140 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: So if you just create it so that you are 141 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: repelling the plasma from all sides, you can contain it 142 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: into a little ball of plasma if you if you will, 143 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: or you know, various shapes. It's not really a ball necessarily, 144 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: but that's something that you would have to do because 145 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: otherwise it sort of blooms outward blooming is is one 146 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: of those those terms that can be used in multiple 147 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: ways depending upon what specific technology referring to. So with lasers, 148 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: it's slight be different than with plasma. What I mean 149 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: with plasma is that it does tend to to spread out. 150 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: It kind of dissipates. So let's say that you decide 151 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: that you're gonna hop into the shower, take a nice 152 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: hot shower, and in the process you're generating a lot steam. 153 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: That steam will just essentially go everywhere to fill up 154 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: the volume of the room you are in, assuming that 155 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: the room you are in is not palatial, and that 156 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: the steam can eventually cool down enough to condense into water. So, uh, 157 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: you know, that's that's the same short thing with plasma. 158 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: It's gonna spread out. It behaves the way of gas. 159 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: What it doesn't just uh maintain its shape. So that's 160 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,200 Speaker 1: why you would need something like a magnetic field to 161 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:41,839 Speaker 1: keep it in a specific shape if that was your goal. 162 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: And again, if it were spreading out, then that would 163 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,319 Speaker 1: also mean to be losing energy fairly rapidly, and cooling 164 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: down doesn't necessarily mean that you want to stand too 165 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: close to a plasma torch as it's going off, But 166 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: it does mean that it's not going to you know, 167 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: when we talk about something that can burn hotter than 168 00:08:57,880 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: the surface of the sun, we don't mean that if 169 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: you turn it on and immediately starts to burn a 170 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: hole straight down through the through the earth, you know, 171 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: a couple of feet away, it's gonna kind of cool 172 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: down enough that it's nothing. Yeah, yeah, and at least 173 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: not enough for it to cause massive problem, like a 174 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: structural integrity problem. That being said that, if you do 175 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: have a plasma furnace, you have to have lots of 176 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,559 Speaker 1: cooling mechanisms in place to keep that operational if you're 177 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: going to maintain a plasma burn. And we'll talk about 178 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: that in a second. I like that we keep on 179 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 1: hinting the stuff we're gonna talk about teasers. We're actually 180 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: kind of getting into it right now, so don't worry. 181 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:33,839 Speaker 1: It's not like we're holding off that far. So we've 182 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: already kind of talked a little bit about what we 183 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: use plasma for. For instance, plasma torches. We talked about that, 184 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,839 Speaker 1: and you mentioned fluorescent lights, but how exactly do fluorescent 185 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: lights work, Like what is the the plasma application there. 186 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: What's what's happening inside of fluorescent Okay, so fluorescent bulbs 187 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: are sealed tubes and they inject current into them through 188 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: electrodes um. They're the tubes. The tubes are filled without 189 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,079 Speaker 1: with an inert gas, usually classical. They are gone and 190 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: uh and a little bit of liquid mercury and um. 191 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: So so when the current flow flows through these electrodes um, 192 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: it causes the inert gas in the tube to plasma 193 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: ify um. And I'm not sure if that's a real word. 194 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 1: Is excellent it is right now anyway, it's real enough 195 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: for me. We are the music makers of dreams. Um. 196 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: And and when when that when that gas plasma I 197 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: fis um. The electrons begin migrating through the tube due 198 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: to this electric charge. Okay, um, this this energy makes 199 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: liquid mercury gasify. And then those uh, those those little 200 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: gasified mercury atoms um collide with the argon plasma and 201 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: the the electrons in the in the mercury atoms start 202 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: getting excited by these collisions and and jumping up a level. 203 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: And now now that this this, this is basically how 204 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: photons are formed. When um, when something flides with a 205 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: particle and it gets those electrons excited, it jumps up 206 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: a level, and then when it contracts back down to 207 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 1: its former position, a photon is given off. Right, Because 208 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: what's happening is you're pouring energy into the atom, which 209 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: is allowing the electron to move to further out from 210 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 1: the nucleus. When the electron starts coming back into the nucleus, 211 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: that means it has to release that the energy that 212 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: was used to push it out in the first place. 213 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: That release tends to be in the form of a photon. 214 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 1: So a light particle on the keys with mercury. Most 215 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: of those light particles are actually ultra violet correct um, 216 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,559 Speaker 1: which which is invisible to the human eye. So it 217 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:36,839 Speaker 1: wouldn't be a very useful light bulb if that's all 218 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: it did, I mean, apart from you know, maybe you 219 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,079 Speaker 1: wanted to have a wicked black light kind of thing 220 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:43,960 Speaker 1: going on, right, And that is how black lights work. Um. 221 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: But but the the inside of most flash bulbs that 222 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: are not black lights are covered with them with a 223 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: powdered phosphor coating, and um this, these these phosphor atoms 224 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: get bombarded by the UV photons. Uh, go through one 225 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 1: of those fancy electron jumps and in the process release 226 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: a visible light photon. Right, So you're you're actually having 227 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: two incidents of the same process going on within a 228 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: fluoresce evolved. It's just one of them is what is 229 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:13,959 Speaker 1: giving us the light that we can see within the 230 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: visible spectrum and uh and and the other is the 231 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 1: more practical from a energy conversion and um. And also, 232 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,079 Speaker 1: I mean it's stuff like our goon gas is pretty 233 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: common and inexpensive. By the way, the fact that there 234 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,439 Speaker 1: is mercury and floresce involves is one of those reasons 235 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: why you want to be very careful with fluoresce involves, 236 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 1: especially and lick them. Yeah, when you're disposing of fluoresce involves, 237 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,079 Speaker 1: you need to be very careful because mercury is very toxic. 238 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: Uh and it can make you go crazy and not 239 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,679 Speaker 1: in a fun Las Vegas kind of way. Science fact. Yes, 240 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,320 Speaker 1: So so that's one way that we use plasma along 241 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: with torches. Yeah. And and this this brings us actually 242 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:55,079 Speaker 1: to plasma TVs because plasma TVs are are essentially um made. 243 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,440 Speaker 1: A plasma display is made up of a bunch of 244 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: very small colored fluorescent light right. Um. By altering the 245 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: kind of phosphors that you're using in a florescent lights coating, 246 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 1: you can alter the kind of visible light that comes 247 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: out of it, right, so what color you actually receive? 248 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: And uh? And these are are our gp uh green 249 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: blue red green blue lights. Right. So uh And here's 250 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,080 Speaker 1: an interesting thing. So one of the things that you 251 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 1: know people who are home theater enthusiasts, and you know 252 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: they either subscribe to l E D, l c D 253 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: or plasma TVs. Uh. One of the things they talk 254 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 1: about is contrast ratio, which is the difference between the 255 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,320 Speaker 1: whites that you can display on a screen versus the 256 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,080 Speaker 1: the shades of black that you can display on a screen. 257 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,319 Speaker 1: And if you have a true black, that means that 258 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: if you were to turn off all the lights in 259 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 1: your room and look at your TV, it should just disappear. 260 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 1: It should not even be noticedab glowing. Right. If you 261 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:53,280 Speaker 1: have an l c D television, chances are is that 262 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: if you have all the lights off and you have 263 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: a black screen on your TV and the TV is on, 264 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 1: you can actually see more like a re really deep 265 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,199 Speaker 1: gray color. And it's because it has a back light, 266 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,679 Speaker 1: whereas plasma televisions do not have that backlight. It's just 267 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: relying upon that excitation of the gas. Yeah. There, it's 268 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: just all of these little pixels of of red grit 269 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,199 Speaker 1: and blue light that are that are very small and uh, 270 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: contributing to a larger picture. Right. So when it's when 271 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: the screen is black, it's because there's nothing active. It's 272 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: not that you know, there's like a little tiny shield 273 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,360 Speaker 1: between the back light and you, which is technically what's 274 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: going on with most l c d s. The shield 275 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: is very tiny, but it is what it is, uh. 276 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: And there were a lot of other like differences between 277 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: plasma and l c d s, especially early early on. 278 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: In fact, if you really want to experience the joy 279 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: of learning about the differences, you can listen to one 280 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 1: of the very first episodes of tech Stuff. We're talking 281 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: like back, I think when it was five minutes. You 282 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: would have to go to our RSS feed to find it. 283 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: But if you went to our RSS feed and scrolled 284 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: all the way down and then looked a couple of 285 00:14:57,320 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: episodes up from the very first one, you would see 286 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: that Chris and I did an episode all about the 287 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: difference differences between plasma TVs and l c ds. But 288 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: in this case, plasma is um you know, one of 289 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: the exactly what we're talking about, this ionized gas. Now, 290 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: keep in mind, both with four essence and with the 291 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 1: plasma TVs, these are not gases that are burning at 292 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 1: hotter than the surfaces right now. No, they're not. However, 293 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: our next application will be Okay, well, are you talking 294 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: about plasma waste converters? Um? I was going to talk 295 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: about plasma torches, but we can also talk about plasma 296 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: wast converters, right because we kind of talked about plasma 297 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: torches already, did we did? I? I wanted to mention 298 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: that they they've actually been around since World War Two, 299 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,960 Speaker 1: when when factories working on military aircraft started adopting welding 300 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: techniques that they that they realized were um uh, we're 301 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: much more efficient because they um when when you're feeding 302 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: that inert gas through through the electrical arc um, it 303 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: creates a barrier around the world with the with with 304 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 1: the airflow and um that that protects it from oxidation, 305 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 1: which is very use well when you're trying to make 306 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: things stick together like metal, right, especially if it's metal 307 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: that's going to be under tremendous stress, like poor conditions, 308 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: you know, like like having salty water being tossed at it. Sure, Sure, 309 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: but plasma waste converters are a little different. It's using 310 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: the same technology as plasma torches in the sense that 311 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: you have a plasma torch at the heart of the 312 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: plasma waste converter. And anyone who's listened to tech stuff 313 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: long enough knows that I'm crazy about this idea because 314 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: I just think it's so cool. The idea is that 315 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: you are using plasma in the case, in the sense 316 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,120 Speaker 1: of a plasma torch to break down the molecular bonds 317 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: of garbage. So you bring garbage in and the garbage 318 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:42,040 Speaker 1: gets exposed to a plasma torch within a furnace. The 319 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: furnace itself is lined with lots of protective material to 320 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: keep it at a workable temperature, so it doesn't, you know, 321 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 1: break down. But the garbage itself, when it's exposed to 322 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: this intense heat, the molecules that hold it together, that 323 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: those bonds that hold the molecules together rather they break 324 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: and it turns. It's called molecular dissociation. Yeah, I've dissociated 325 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: with some molecules in my time, and let me tell you, 326 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,159 Speaker 1: it's a violent process. And so In this case, what 327 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: happens is the material breaks down into one of two forms. 328 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: Either if it's carbon based, it then turns into gas, 329 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:21,400 Speaker 1: or if it is not combon based, if it's not organic, 330 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,879 Speaker 1: it then melts down into slag. And usually before you 331 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,359 Speaker 1: would even go through this process, you would actually sort 332 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 1: through this garbage, you know, take out anything that's metal 333 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: that you could recycle that kind of stuff. And so 334 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 1: what you what you're left with is a gas that 335 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: if you treat it chemically, you could actually make a 336 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: synthetic fuel out of it, which is one of those 337 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: promising future fuels that people talk about sometimes, right, And 338 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: it's not that this is a fuel that would it's 339 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: not that we would create enough of this to make 340 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: it our primary source of fuel, but it could help 341 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: offset some of our gasoline. Yeah, and or even if 342 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: you just had it on site, if you had energy 343 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 1: production on site along with plasma waste converter, then you 344 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: could actually generate electricity. Yeah, you can fuel a converter, 345 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: and if you made enough electricity from the fuel, then 346 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: it all depends on what the garbage is made out of. 347 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: But if you made enough, you could even feed electricity 348 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: back into the pad so, but then the other stuff, 349 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:17,120 Speaker 1: the slag just melts off and it if you let 350 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,720 Speaker 1: it cool by air, it becomes uh, this rocky substance 351 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: looks like volcanic glass, and you can use that in 352 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 1: construction materials. If you cool it with compressed air, it 353 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: turns into what's called rock wool, which is very uh 354 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: effective insulator. Uh. If you cool it by water, it 355 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,320 Speaker 1: turns into this little pebbly kind of substance that you 356 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 1: can use for multiple purposes. It's just a neat idea, 357 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 1: and it's you know, it comes at several different problems 358 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: all at once. Energy production, although on a very small scale. Again, 359 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: it's not like this is going to it's not like 360 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: it's gonna be Mr fusion, right, it's not gonna power 361 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: in your car um but energy production as well as 362 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,400 Speaker 1: getting rid of garbage in a way that it would 363 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: mean that we turn our garbage into fuel sources and 364 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: eventually we could even if the if the facilities were 365 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: large enough, get rid of landfills, we would eventually mind 366 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: the landfills from fuel plus taken all incoming garbage now. 367 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 1: And this is in a relatively clean way, by the way, 368 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 1: because it doesn't use oxidation. In the burning process, You're 369 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,160 Speaker 1: not you're not actually burning stuff. You're applying so much 370 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,120 Speaker 1: energy that it just breaks it down. So yeah, it's 371 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:26,440 Speaker 1: different from burning garbage and then releasing toxins into the air. 372 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 1: Keeping in mind that the gases that you are getting 373 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: from this process would be pretty toxic in some cases. 374 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: But that's why you have to have the chemical scrubbing 375 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 1: part where you use uh special You cool the gas 376 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 1: down in several in several steps, and once it's cool enough, 377 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: you then combine it with other gases that will allow 378 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 1: the useful stuff to pass through and become synthetic fuel, 379 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,159 Speaker 1: and the other stuff, the toxic stuff would mind with 380 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: other agents to become essentially inert material that you could 381 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,520 Speaker 1: then dispose of safely. At least that's the ideal. Um. 382 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: All I've being said really expensive proposition, which is why 383 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: we don't see it everywhere, right right, But but pretty 384 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,920 Speaker 1: cool though, um and uh and and this is possibly 385 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: why people in science fiction decide that, hey, you know 386 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: this thing where we're literally breaking down the molecular structure 387 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: of atoms, Yeah, why don't we use that as a weapon? Weapad? 388 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 1: I mean, if this is if this is something that 389 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: can turn stuff into just gas or molten slag. Wouldn't 390 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,879 Speaker 1: that make an amazing weapon? And in theory, sure, and 391 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: that's probably one of the reasons why it's so popular 392 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 1: in science fiction. But we'll we'll take a closer look 393 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 1: at that before we get into the science fiction e 394 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,359 Speaker 1: part and the actual weapon part. Let's take a quick break, 395 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,879 Speaker 1: all right, So we touched on it why you would 396 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: want a plasma weapon because plasma is the stuff of stars, 397 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,679 Speaker 1: and if you were able to wield that in a 398 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 1: weaponized way, you would be the biggest, baddest monster in 399 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: the universe. You were looking at me to see how 400 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,399 Speaker 1: it was going to end that, weren't you, Because you're thinking, like, 401 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 1: there are a lot of words that he could use 402 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:02,119 Speaker 1: to in that phrase, and some of them would require 403 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 1: a beap, but I was good. So yeah. It's it's 404 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: this idea of transmitting huge amounts of thermal energy or heat. 405 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 1: So if you think of our traditional guns, the stuff 406 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,600 Speaker 1: that we have right now today, most of those guns 407 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:21,919 Speaker 1: are weapons that transfer kinetic energy. The idea that I 408 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:26,120 Speaker 1: fire a projectile at a target, that projectile transmits kinetic 409 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: energy to the target and that causes damage um. Now, 410 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:33,720 Speaker 1: you know, not all guns are that way. We've got 411 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 1: some guns that use different methods, like you know, things 412 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: that even use things like sonic waves. That's a little 413 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 1: bit a little sonic wave, still kinetic. But then you 414 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: could have a weaponized laser that would be sort of 415 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: a thermal weapon. Yea more burning, that's true. So the 416 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:53,919 Speaker 1: idea I think is that a plasma weapon would be uh, 417 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:57,640 Speaker 1: something that would cause damage to your target through massive 418 00:21:57,720 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: amounts of heat, kind of the way we were talking 419 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,240 Speaker 1: about with the plast and massive amounts of damage. Yeah, 420 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: so it wouldn't just be like it lights up very pretty, 421 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 1: although that's kind of the effect we get with science fiction. 422 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: So yeah, why are why do we see them and 423 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: so many different uh implementations in science fiction? I really 424 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: do think it is because they look cool, and they 425 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,160 Speaker 1: look cool, and they make noises or whiter or brown noises. 426 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: You know, it's not pupew laser. It's different from pupe laser. 427 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 1: But for example, we've mentioned this before. Lauren and I 428 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 1: both are fans of the Halo franchise, and in Halo, 429 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: the the alien bad guys, they tend to use plasma weapons. 430 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,159 Speaker 1: I think, in fact, all of their According to the 431 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:43,440 Speaker 1: Halo wiki anyway, um not not all of the weather 432 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: there that the needlers the one kind of weapon under contention, 433 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,200 Speaker 1: but everything else that the Covenant uses is u is 434 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 1: a plasma weapon, because they talk about plasma rifles. They 435 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,879 Speaker 1: talk about plasma pistols. If you want to, Yeah, if 436 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:57,960 Speaker 1: you want a new combo somebody, you've got to have 437 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,640 Speaker 1: a plasma pistol and then a human pistol and then 438 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,400 Speaker 1: you charge the plasma pistol really good for taking shields down. Yeah, 439 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,600 Speaker 1: And and that's that's the real purpose of it in 440 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:09,880 Speaker 1: the game, right, Some weapons are very good at doing 441 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: particular things, Like the kinetic weapons are good at hurting 442 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: people once their shields are down, but they're not so 443 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:17,719 Speaker 1: good at taking down shields, whereas the plasma weapons are 444 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: really good at taking the shields down. And if you're me, 445 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,119 Speaker 1: they you could shoot somebody a billion times with a 446 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:25,280 Speaker 1: plasma weapon and they never seem to die, whereas I 447 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:28,080 Speaker 1: can take a hit and a half and I'm done. Right. 448 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,680 Speaker 1: Also that I'm really bad at Halo. Let's be fair, 449 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,240 Speaker 1: I'm probably not hitting them at all. I think I'm 450 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: hitting them, but in reality, I'm just kind of spinning around, 451 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: pointing my gun in the air and going within within 452 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: the Halo universe, by the way, And I find I 453 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: found this interesting just because I'm such a Halo nerd um. Uh. 454 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,120 Speaker 1: Supposedly humanity had tried to create a plasma tank at 455 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:51,480 Speaker 1: some point, because you know, because we were in this 456 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:56,199 Speaker 1: hypothetical future using um using plasma for garbage disposal and 457 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: stuff like that, and uh, but it never came to fruition, right, 458 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,440 Speaker 1: and whereas the Covenant certainly did, as the Wraith, as 459 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:07,280 Speaker 1: I recall, does fire uh giant blobs of plasma. And 460 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 1: the interesting thing is that in the within the Halo 461 00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:14,680 Speaker 1: universe that these plasma projectiles behave in a very particular way. 462 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,639 Speaker 1: They seem to go straight out from the weapon. They don't. 463 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: They don't bend to gravity in any way. They do not. 464 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: So it's almost more like a laser in that sense. 465 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 1: It's like an energy weapon in that sense, but it's 466 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 1: an energy weapon where it is a cohesive blob, and 467 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: in a very slow cohesive blob compared to, for example, 468 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: the airspace of a of a swallow no no bullet 469 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: or right, yeah, yeah, the the physical projectiles, like if 470 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 1: you're using a pistol. It's not like you can track 471 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,800 Speaker 1: the motion of the bullet in Halo, right, You just 472 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:46,399 Speaker 1: you see whether or not you hit something by the reaction. 473 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: See a sniper trail. But yeah, yeah, you can see 474 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: a trail, but you can't see the bullet itself. You know, 475 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,640 Speaker 1: you see the evidence of where the bullet was, whereas 476 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 1: with the plasma weapon, you can actually track the projectile 477 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 1: as it fires across the field of battle. So, and 478 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:03,800 Speaker 1: also I wanted to mention that star Chreck a lot 479 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:08,919 Speaker 1: of a lot of the plasma cannons, bombs, bullets, torpedoes, beams, 480 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,560 Speaker 1: um as, some forms of phasers are are also supposedly 481 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:16,720 Speaker 1: plasma based. Interesting. Yeah, I think it's just mainly because 482 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,439 Speaker 1: it sounds scientific and interesting. And again they you know, 483 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 1: when you know that a plasma is an ionized gas 484 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: and can be a superheated gas, then that tells you, oh, well, 485 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: you could have this blob of stuff. But it starts 486 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 1: to raise some pretty tough questions like could we have 487 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 1: a science fiction e plasma weapon? And if not, what, 488 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,440 Speaker 1: what's the problem? Where where are we hitting the challenge 489 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: of doing this? And there's a few physics really is 490 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: the problem it's a big one. So one of those challenges. 491 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: We kind of hinted at it already when I was 492 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: talking about taking a shower. So imagine you're taking that 493 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: shower and you want the steam to all go into 494 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 1: one place in the room and stay there. Really hard. 495 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,480 Speaker 1: How do you do that? Um? Yeah, it's some people 496 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:04,480 Speaker 1: have pointed out, like, think about if you had a 497 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 1: gun that could fire steam. Sure, if you were just 498 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: right there, right where the barrel of the gun is ended, 499 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: and you've ever gotten a steam burn, it's it's bad. Yeah, 500 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:14,440 Speaker 1: it's bad. You know, if you're at point blank range 501 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,439 Speaker 1: for a steam gun, that would be bad business. It 502 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,320 Speaker 1: would hurt a lot. So same thing with like a 503 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: plasma torch, except it wouldn't hurt so much as you 504 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:25,159 Speaker 1: would start to dissociate. Um but uh, but if you 505 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: get more than a few feet away, Yeah, if you 506 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: get more than a few feet away, it all disperses it. 507 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: It has this blooming problem again that it just starts 508 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 1: to that there's nothing holding the plasma into a shape 509 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: like a projectile so that it could maintain some sort 510 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,359 Speaker 1: of coherence until it hit a target. So if I 511 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,639 Speaker 1: shoot a steam gun at Lauren and she's fifteen feet away. 512 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 1: She's just gonna sit there and say like, nice smoke 513 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: machine you got there, idiot, Whereas I'm thinking like, uh, shoot, 514 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:58,160 Speaker 1: should have got the other weapon, like the crossbow or something. 515 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: This isn't terrible. It's a portrait. You might get a 516 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: little damp. Sure, So so this is basically uh, Doctor 517 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:09,120 Speaker 1: Horrible's friend moist. I think this is pretty much so. Now, granted, 518 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: with plasma, you're talking about a super high energy gas, 519 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,879 Speaker 1: and it's not that it would lose its energy instantaneously, 520 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,200 Speaker 1: but it would be you know, it disperses pretty quickly. 521 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:23,119 Speaker 1: So another thing is that plasma tends to be less 522 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 1: dense than atmosphere, especially if it's like a hydrogen gas. 523 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,440 Speaker 1: I mean that's not Hydrogen is the lightest of all elements, right, 524 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:31,879 Speaker 1: So if you were to fire out a blob of hydrogen, 525 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: the first thing it would do is float up into 526 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: the atmosphere, assuming that you are firing in an atmosphere 527 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 1: and you're not in space. So if I, if if 528 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,000 Speaker 1: I'm shooting at you in our own real world Halo, 529 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 1: and I have a hydrogen based plasma weapon, you're just 530 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: gonna see my projectile shoot straight up as it's dispersing, 531 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: so it's just getting it's a blob that's getting larger 532 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 1: and grow and floating up. Meanwhile you're just giggling, and 533 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: I'm still still shaking my hand unloading your sniper rifle 534 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:04,480 Speaker 1: at me um But luckily I serpentine. So anyway, the 535 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: the this is a problem. You would have to have 536 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,399 Speaker 1: a super dense plasma so that it would not just 537 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 1: float straight up. But that means that it would behave 538 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 1: according to the rules of gravity. So just like an 539 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:20,440 Speaker 1: actual projectile, if you fire a gun with a physical 540 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: bullet and you have a you know, you have plenty 541 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 1: of space that that bullet will hit the ground if 542 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: there's nothing to interrupt its flight. It's going to hit 543 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: the ground in the same amount of time, by the way, 544 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: as it would take you to drop the bullet from 545 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: the height of the gun. So if I dropped if 546 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 1: I dropped a bullet straight down, and I had a 547 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: gun that is parallel to the ground, right, it's not 548 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: pointed up in any way, it's not arcing. Uh, And 549 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: and I fired the gun and I dropped the bullet 550 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 1: at the same time, both bullets will hit the ground 551 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: at the same time. It's just the bullet that's fired 552 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: from the gun will hit the ground really far away. 553 00:28:55,200 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: But that's because gravity. So gravity would would also effect 554 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:02,960 Speaker 1: plasma because you would have to have it super dense 555 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: enough so it doesn't flow in the air. But that 556 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,720 Speaker 1: means that down. So there's that issue. And then how 557 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: do you keep the plasma together? How do you keep 558 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,239 Speaker 1: it so that it's a projectile. The only way I 559 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: can think of is that you use some sort of 560 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:21,640 Speaker 1: traveling magnetic field that keeps it in that shape. So 561 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:24,080 Speaker 1: you would have to have something that could create a 562 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: magnetic field around your plasma and travel with the plasma 563 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 1: projectile until it gets to its target. We don't really 564 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:33,280 Speaker 1: have anything that can do that, and if we did, 565 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 1: I'm not sure that a plasma weapon would necessarily be 566 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: the most interesting thing that we would do with that. Yeah, 567 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: we might be able to find other ways of weaponizing 568 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: just that. The fact that we can make a traveling 569 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: magnetic wave that we could control in so precise a 570 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: manner as to maintain the shape of a plasma ball, 571 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: you probably can weaponize that in a much more effective way. Uh. 572 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 1: In Halo, the plasma sword is is said to be 573 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: controlled by by a magnetic field genera that whole the 574 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: blades of of ionized gas in that shape. Some people 575 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 1: have theorized that a lightsaber is in fact some sort 576 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:10,920 Speaker 1: of plasma sword um, Whereas I just say what Lucas said, 577 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: that it's a magic sword. So with magic, you don't 578 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 1: have to have a scientific explanation. You don't know, it's 579 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,360 Speaker 1: just magic. But anyway, so yeah, you'd have to find 580 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: some way of keeping that together. That's challenge number one. 581 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: So we are nowhere near the point where we would 582 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,840 Speaker 1: be able to generate a plasma of the sufficient density 583 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:29,880 Speaker 1: and then keep it in the right shape and have 584 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 1: it act as a projectile. We just don't have that here, 585 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 1: So that's first challenge. Second challenge propelling the plasma. How 586 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: do you get it to go out of the gun 587 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:42,720 Speaker 1: towards your target and maintain any sort of speed? Um. 588 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe again, another magnetic field. Possibly you 589 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,480 Speaker 1: could use a a very strong magnetic feel to to 590 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 1: repel the plasma towards your target. Doesn't seem like it 591 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: would be terribly accurate. It's almost like just shoving someone 592 00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: and also also still not I mean, if you can, 593 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 1: if you can really direct that sort of Bagnac field 594 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 1: you get back into the territory of win. Why we 595 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: just weaponizing that? Yeah? Or you if you're talking about 596 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:11,080 Speaker 1: a plasma where you are generating the plasma by pushing 597 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: compressed air past electrodes, as opposed to already having generated 598 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: plasma and then firing that. If you're making the plasma 599 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: on site like you would with a plasma torch, then uh, 600 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 1: I guess you could have it be kind of like 601 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:28,200 Speaker 1: a plasma flamethrower that's as cloth or maybe as doing 602 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:31,400 Speaker 1: a quick puff or a vortex of air. Have you 603 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 1: ever seen those air cannon that kind of had the 604 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 1: elastic back? And then you know, I leaned back from 605 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: the microphone to visually display that for all of our listeners. 606 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 1: I appreciate that because it told me that you actually 607 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 1: understand what it is that you immediately knew what I 608 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 1: was talking about, because you were making the universal gesture 609 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:49,600 Speaker 1: of this jerk is about to hit me with an 610 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,120 Speaker 1: air cannon. Um, if you guys don't know what I'm 611 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 1: talking about, they're these air cannons. They're sold as novelties. 612 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:56,120 Speaker 1: You didn't find them all over the place. I think 613 00:31:56,120 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 1: think geek has them. But you can use them to 614 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: fire a puff of air at a person all the 615 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: way across a room, and that air will maintain its 616 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: shaped by creating this vortex, the swirling uh motion of 617 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,760 Speaker 1: air that allows it to kind of be a projectile 618 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 1: over decent distances. It does eventually disperse. It's not like 619 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 1: it's going to maintain that indefinitely. But you maybe your 620 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 1: plasma weapon would create a vortex similar to that and 621 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 1: be able to be propelled through a quick puff. But 622 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:29,560 Speaker 1: you know, it's still kind of an issue there. That's 623 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:33,600 Speaker 1: how do you do that? If if you were able 624 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 1: to generate enough kinetic energy through uh the magnetic field, 625 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,000 Speaker 1: like you said, why not just make a kinetic weapon 626 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: rather than a plasma weapon, um, and then finally have 627 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 1: the energy that would be required to make a plasma 628 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: weapon work, right, because yeah, it's you would really need. 629 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 1: You would need so much that it really wouldn't be mobile, right. Yeah. 630 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 1: First of all, just to generate a super hot plasma, 631 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:58,800 Speaker 1: you would need quite a bit of electricity, and you 632 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: need a sustainable amount, So yeah, you wouldn't. Any battery 633 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,080 Speaker 1: that we have that's portable right now would not work. 634 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 1: So we'd have to have incredible, like maybe like a 635 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,400 Speaker 1: little fusion generator and whatever the weapon is. And uh, 636 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,760 Speaker 1: and then you're talking about carrying around a fusion mom 637 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:19,200 Speaker 1: in pistol form. Otherwise you are essentially connected to an 638 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:26,920 Speaker 1: enormous power facility by a cable which is not terribly mobile. No, ums, 639 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,160 Speaker 1: certainly not fair personalized weapon. Yeah, And and it's beyond 640 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 1: just the generating of the plasma, right if we also 641 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:35,040 Speaker 1: have to have this magnetic field, that energy has to 642 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 1: come from somewhere. And if we're talking about propelling this 643 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: plasma in any sort of way that actually makes it 644 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 1: a you know, something that's more deadly than the moona 645 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: nights laser beam, which moves it like one click a second, 646 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:51,680 Speaker 1: then you have to find even more energy to make 647 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 1: that go forward. At this point, we're talking about so 648 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 1: much energy to go into firing one single weapon that again, 649 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 1: you could probably use that same amount of energy weaponize 650 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 1: it in a different way that's far more effective. So 651 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: what we're coming down to is right now, a plasma 652 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:10,120 Speaker 1: weapons not truly in the sense of the science fiction 653 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:14,719 Speaker 1: plasma weapons. A plasma weapons not really feasible. It's not 654 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:17,359 Speaker 1: not possible with the technology we have, and it's not 655 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:21,360 Speaker 1: really practical because again, with that amount of energy we 656 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 1: would need, we could probably find more efficient ways of 657 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: killing each other, all all kinds of more efficient ways, 658 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:29,759 Speaker 1: like any of the ones that exist right now, right yeah, 659 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 1: so uh yeah, it's just it's probably not a very 660 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:37,640 Speaker 1: likely outcome. I don't think we're ever going to see 661 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,320 Speaker 1: plasma weapons the way they are depicted in video games 662 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,200 Speaker 1: and movies. However, that being said, once, once we are 663 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:48,560 Speaker 1: all carrying around, say Mr. Fusion maybe, but even then, like, 664 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 1: why not just use a laser gun at that point, right, 665 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:54,800 Speaker 1: Other than the fact that you want the cool blobby effect, 666 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:57,400 Speaker 1: I mean points for style, I guess you can just 667 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 1: use a laser gun and Saylor Yeah, yeah, that's how 668 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:02,839 Speaker 1: I would do it. So that makes that there are 669 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 1: weapons that exist, either in prototype stage or very early 670 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,480 Speaker 1: stages now that do have plasma as a component. But 671 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:14,400 Speaker 1: it's not like you're firing a projectile of plasma. And 672 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:17,239 Speaker 1: one of those is something that we commonly refer to 673 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:21,279 Speaker 1: as a lightning gun. Uh. It's because because lightning in 674 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:24,880 Speaker 1: fact does plasma ify air around it, right, So in 675 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:27,880 Speaker 1: this case, what you're doing is it's it's pretty ingenious 676 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,200 Speaker 1: you're using a very high powered but very brief laser. 677 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,480 Speaker 1: It's only on for a fraction of a fraction of 678 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:37,480 Speaker 1: a fraction of a second. We're talking about fimpto seconds here. 679 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 1: So you you you blast out this this high energy laser, 680 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 1: that high energy laser. As it travels to whatever its 681 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:48,759 Speaker 1: target destination is, it creates a plasma channel because it's 682 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:52,160 Speaker 1: so high energy, that's just plasma ifying the atmosphere between 683 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: it and wherever the target is. So you've got this 684 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:57,160 Speaker 1: plasma channel. That means that if you wanted to, you 685 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:01,000 Speaker 1: could fire off a blast of electricity, a huge electric 686 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:05,279 Speaker 1: charge down this channel. And because plasma does conduct electricity, 687 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:10,920 Speaker 1: lightning essentially will travel down this plasma channel target, assuming 688 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:14,400 Speaker 1: that your target does in fact conduct electricity. So there's 689 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 1: no like like, here's the thing. It's not terribly accurate 690 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,879 Speaker 1: in the sense that if I'm aiming at Lauren and 691 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:24,600 Speaker 1: she happens to be no, I don't know two yards 692 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 1: away because these things, I mean, a laser has no 693 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:32,360 Speaker 1: effective real range on it as as far as you know, No, 694 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,080 Speaker 1: that's too far out. Um really kind of line of 695 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:38,160 Speaker 1: site is really what theoretically this would work as so 696 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,720 Speaker 1: I've aimed at Lauren. I've pulled the trigger, and this 697 00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 1: this channel has opened up, and the electric blast immediately follows, 698 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:48,360 Speaker 1: like almost to the point where it's all to us. 699 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:53,879 Speaker 1: It would seem instantaneous, But Lauren happens to be there's 700 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:55,560 Speaker 1: a clear line of side. I can see her, and 701 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:58,760 Speaker 1: I'm firing this at her because apparently she's really cheesed 702 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:02,480 Speaker 1: me off. But there happens to be an enormous tank 703 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:07,160 Speaker 1: that's sitting yards between the two of us. Um, it's 704 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:09,560 Speaker 1: off to the side, so it's not like directly in 705 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:12,680 Speaker 1: my line of fire. However, this enormous tank is a conductor, 706 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:15,720 Speaker 1: and there is a very good chance that the lightning 707 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 1: that's going down is going to zap onto that tank, 708 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,000 Speaker 1: as opposed to continuing down and zapping Lauren the same 709 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:23,240 Speaker 1: way that For example, UM, if you're if you're standing 710 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,279 Speaker 1: next to a very large tree. Um, you know that 711 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:29,160 Speaker 1: that that tree versus an open plane. If if you're 712 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 1: in an open plane, you don't want to be the 713 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: tallest thing in it. If if you're in the middle 714 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:34,440 Speaker 1: of a lightning storm, because and if there's a lightning 715 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:36,839 Speaker 1: storm and there's an open plane and a very tall tree. 716 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,320 Speaker 1: You don't want to be under the tree because again 717 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: it's it's gonna be that. You know, you can't predict 718 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 1: exactly where this is going to go. It's a somewhat 719 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 1: of a chaotic event now, but but the largest conductor 720 00:37:48,239 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 1: nearby is a pretty good guess, right. So if Lauren's 721 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:52,960 Speaker 1: the largest conductor nearby, first of all, there aren't any 722 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:56,719 Speaker 1: other people around, which is tiny, but uh, then she 723 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,440 Speaker 1: might actually get hit by this lightning blast. Now, to 724 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:03,239 Speaker 1: be fair, or the applications that I have seen for 725 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:06,800 Speaker 1: this weapon are not meant to go against human targets 726 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:10,040 Speaker 1: or even vehicular targets, although that has been uh something 727 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:14,080 Speaker 1: that's been proposed. Instead, it's a means of detonating what 728 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: is a suspected explosive device. So the idea is that 729 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: you get a safe distance away from the device, you 730 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:23,040 Speaker 1: aim this thing at it, and then this blast of 731 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:27,279 Speaker 1: electricity hits the device and would then uh activate it 732 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,960 Speaker 1: or or destroy it, so that you wouldn't have to 733 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:32,759 Speaker 1: worry about endangering someone's life. You wouldn't have to try 734 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:34,520 Speaker 1: and deactivate it in person, or you wouldn't even have 735 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:36,319 Speaker 1: to send a robot to it. You just blast it 736 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:40,359 Speaker 1: from a distance, So that's the proposed use of it. 737 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:42,880 Speaker 1: It's really kind of again not as far as I 738 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,640 Speaker 1: can tell, it's not something that's widely deployed. It's still 739 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:49,600 Speaker 1: very much in that sort of testing, testing and waiting 740 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:53,479 Speaker 1: for for money kind of thing where it may even 741 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:56,239 Speaker 1: be perfectly viable. It's just that you have to get 742 00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:58,400 Speaker 1: to the point where it funds and then it actually 743 00:38:58,440 --> 00:38:59,840 Speaker 1: gets into the hands of the people who want to 744 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,360 Speaker 1: use is it. Then there's something called the pulsed energy 745 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:08,440 Speaker 1: projectile weapon or PEPs PEPs. Yeah, these are often referred 746 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,759 Speaker 1: to as non lethal weapons, and in fact, Chris and 747 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,840 Speaker 1: I did an episode on non lethal weapons. If you 748 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:14,919 Speaker 1: haven't heard that one, you should go back and listen 749 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:17,160 Speaker 1: to it. That we do cover PEPs in that one 750 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,440 Speaker 1: less more than five minutes. Yeah, this one, this one 751 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:22,080 Speaker 1: is one of the longer ones because it was a 752 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:23,879 Speaker 1: couple It was like maybe a year or two ago 753 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:27,560 Speaker 1: when we did it. So U these PEPs are they're 754 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:30,840 Speaker 1: classified as non lethal, but they can be quite lethal. 755 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:33,800 Speaker 1: The idea here is that you use a laser. Again, 756 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 1: you point the laser at your target, and the laser 757 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:40,240 Speaker 1: is very high powered and it ends up vaporizing part 758 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:42,719 Speaker 1: of whatever the target is, whatever it comes into contact with. 759 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: In the process, that area, then plasma fis turns into 760 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:51,239 Speaker 1: a very rapidly expanding pocket of plasma. That expansion is 761 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 1: super super fast, and during that expansion you get a 762 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:56,880 Speaker 1: couple of things that happen. If it's faster than the 763 00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:59,239 Speaker 1: speed of sound, then you actually get a shock wave 764 00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:02,560 Speaker 1: like you would like a sonic boom. You know, it 765 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 1: might not be on the scale of a jet flying overhead, 766 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:07,600 Speaker 1: but it could still happen. That would be enough to 767 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:11,040 Speaker 1: really knock your silly. But then on top of that, 768 00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:13,919 Speaker 1: you get an electro magnetic pulse as well, which could 769 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:17,120 Speaker 1: be enough to overload your nervous system, right right, It's 770 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:20,600 Speaker 1: it's really not the not the heat of the plasma 771 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:22,640 Speaker 1: that that you're worrying about in this case, it's the 772 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:26,440 Speaker 1: sensory overload. Yeah. So you would essentially end up feeling 773 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:30,240 Speaker 1: a massive amount of pain and possibly be paralyzed for 774 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:33,359 Speaker 1: a certain amount of time. Yeah. So it's it's meant 775 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:37,360 Speaker 1: to incapacitate the target, and in fact has been referenced 776 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:39,280 Speaker 1: as being a weapon that would be used in something 777 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:44,279 Speaker 1: like riot control. Kind of terrifying. Yeah, yeah, I mean 778 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 1: I mean, for reals, set your phasers to stun kind 779 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:50,479 Speaker 1: of kind of weapon is really nifty and Star Trek 780 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:53,040 Speaker 1: when everyone is a good guy, um, and they're only 781 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,080 Speaker 1: using it on bad guys. But here in the real 782 00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:57,399 Speaker 1: world is a little bit a little bit, especially since 783 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,399 Speaker 1: since it is said to cause tremendous pain. Yeah, it's 784 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:03,439 Speaker 1: not like it's something that just you don't just don't 785 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:06,920 Speaker 1: just go, you know, it's more like, yeah, and then 786 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:10,759 Speaker 1: you can't do anything. Um. So yeah, it's but those 787 00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:16,000 Speaker 1: are two examples of existing weapons that are using plasma 788 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:17,799 Speaker 1: in some way. It's just not in the way that 789 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 1: we think of when we think plasma gun. So you know, 790 00:41:21,239 --> 00:41:23,759 Speaker 1: it's not that plasma is completely useless in the in 791 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,960 Speaker 1: the weapons field. It's just that it's not directly used 792 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:29,080 Speaker 1: as a projectile the way we think of when we 793 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:31,640 Speaker 1: play Halo. There is UM. I did read about about 794 00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:35,440 Speaker 1: something called a plasma shield. Have you heard about this one? No? Um, 795 00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:39,319 Speaker 1: It's it's a device that's using a dynamic pulse detonation 796 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,959 Speaker 1: and um and it's basically a short but intense laser 797 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,520 Speaker 1: pulse creates a ball of plasma and then a second 798 00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:48,040 Speaker 1: laser pulse generates a shock wave the way that we 799 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:50,600 Speaker 1: were talking about a moment ago. With the PEPs um, 800 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,200 Speaker 1: it creates a shock wave within the plasma that generates 801 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:56,600 Speaker 1: a flash bang. Wow, that would sounds like that would 802 00:41:56,640 --> 00:41:59,799 Speaker 1: be terrifying. Yes, yeah, and loud and and very loud. Yeah, 803 00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:01,759 Speaker 1: and and and that this this also, you know, being 804 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:06,480 Speaker 1: being more defensive than offensive. It's meant to disorient. It's 805 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:10,120 Speaker 1: meant to disorient and to distract and to allow your 806 00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:13,600 Speaker 1: forces to either withdraw or to engage in a way 807 00:42:13,640 --> 00:42:17,719 Speaker 1: that the opposing forces cannot anticipate because they're currently dealing 808 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,240 Speaker 1: with the fact that their ears don't work anymore. Um. Yeah, 809 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:23,880 Speaker 1: that's scary, scary stuff. And I mean, anytime we talk 810 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,800 Speaker 1: about weapons, obviously it's gonna be But but I hope 811 00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,040 Speaker 1: that that kind of that was This was a fun 812 00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:32,799 Speaker 1: one to take another science fiction topic and really look 813 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,160 Speaker 1: at and say, how could we make this possible? And 814 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,160 Speaker 1: would it even be worthwhile? I think I think the 815 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:39,719 Speaker 1: consensus is it wouldn't be worthwhile in the sense of 816 00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:41,960 Speaker 1: a plasma projectile. But there are other ways you can 817 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:46,880 Speaker 1: use plasma that are both uh beneficial as in uh 818 00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:50,120 Speaker 1: they do useful work for us and also scary and 819 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:52,919 Speaker 1: that they can make you fall over and go out. 820 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:56,920 Speaker 1: Useful and terrifying. Yeah, just like we are. We're useful 821 00:42:56,960 --> 00:42:59,880 Speaker 1: and terrifying. Yea yay. So guys, if you have a 822 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:03,280 Speaker 1: suggestions for future useful yet terrifying episodes of tech stuff, 823 00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:05,880 Speaker 1: you should write in and let us know our email addresses. 824 00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:08,960 Speaker 1: Tech stuff at Discovery dot com or find us on 825 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,200 Speaker 1: Facebook or Twitter or handle at both of those. Is 826 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:14,000 Speaker 1: tech stuff. H. S. W and Lauren and I will 827 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:17,040 Speaker 1: scare and terrify you in a thrilling way. Really soon 828 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,440 Speaker 1: for more on this and thousands of other topics because 829 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:37,360 Speaker 1: it has staff works dot com