14 Responses for "17 year old teenager builds homemade fusion reactor"

1. Jeremy Steele

   March 31st, 2007 at 7:45 am

   1

   I bet it makes one hell of an Espresso.

2. Marco (Griffith) Jardim

   March 31st, 2007 at 2:47 pm

   2

   But does it run Linux? ;)

3.   How to Bid on eBay

   April 1st, 2007 at 8:53 pm

   3

   [...] So with those tips, I hope that you’d be a better eBayer now. Learn from experience and enjoy. Who know, you might score some great deals on a fusion reactor somewhere. [...]

4. The Homely Scientist » Yes you too can have a 200 million degree ball of plasma in your basement

   April 3rd, 2007 at 1:35 pm

   4

   [...] Ah science fair projects.  Oddly enough I never participated in any, my school didn’t have them.  But we did have the yearly science project for class.  Let’s see for chem I tested various water proofing agents on leather.  Bio was a bacteria experiment.  Physics, I played with wing design on gliders.  I never considered making a fusion reactor.  Well a 17 year old in Michigan thought about it, and did it: Now I don’t know what’s most surprising, the fact that it was a 17 year old that made a device that can fuse two hydrogen atoms together, or the fact that you can get the pieces for it from eBay. Source: 17 year old teenager builds homemade fusion reactor [...]

5. chuck

   February 15th, 2009 at 1:11 am

   5

   This is B.S

6. ben

   February 19th, 2009 at 9:06 am

   6

   Umm no. Thats all I have to say on the matter as to explain why this is so mind numbingly wrong would take to long.

7. Steve

   February 19th, 2009 at 5:37 pm

   7

   Nope. Not a chance. Scientists haven’t managed to build controlled fusion reactors yet, so no way did a 17 year old build one for a science fair.

8. Geoffrey

   February 21st, 2009 at 1:46 pm

   8

   Actually, creating fusion a fusion reactor is easier than you would think. Scientists have created many different types of fusion reactors capable of fusing hydrogen. The problem is that they are unable to stabalize the reaction so that it can produce more energy than it initially consumes. Fusion in itself has been done before though.

9. Aaron

   February 21st, 2009 at 2:17 pm

   9

   Steve and ben: Amazing that you’re so quick to call it fake without any cogent reasoning. Stop judging a story just because it seems, based on your little bit of knowledge, a tad outlandish. If you really don’t believe it possible, do some research and form a real argument. I’m all about taking things with a grain of salt, but don’t dismiss something if you don’t know anything about it, or why you dismiss it.

10. Joe

    February 21st, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    10

    yea but will it blend?

11. Anonymous

    February 21st, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    11

    Okay guys. the article says he created a device that can fuse two hydrogen atoms together, something we’ve been able to do for nearly 70 years. Nobody said he has used it to power his house or anything. And for the people who are freaking out, I think it’s great. The world needs more 17 year olds willing and capable to do outstanding feats of home brewed engineering in their basements. I hope this kid enjoys his full ride to MIT, or at the very least his A. Even if he failed and it doesn’t work, A for effort.

    Nuclear energy is the future people. Just because its destructive doesn’t mean we have to fear it. Gasoline is dangerous too. More power = more destructive potential. Its just the trade off. Its up us to ensure that this new tool is used for the betterment of human society. We can’t trade progress for safety, not after we’ve come this far.

12. zero

    February 21st, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    12

    Instead of trying to be smart by typing so much and stating facts about why or why not he could do it, open your eyes and look at the post date.

    Idiots!

13. G. Freeman

    February 23rd, 2009 at 1:14 am

    13

    That is impossible. The closest place to Earth that Fusion happens is the sun. So far man has only been able to produce fission, which is separating atoms. The fact is it just takes to much energy and heat to preform fusion.

14. Harry Roberts

    February 23rd, 2009 at 5:17 am

    14

    “17 year old teenager…”

    Oh so he is a teenager then? Not a 17 year old in his thirties?