Ask A Geek

Q: Bounce it of the retro-reflectors of the moon:
1) and have an eye visible ray return
2) have an intensity that permits detection by any means (using a photomultiplier)

Bounce it of the moon itself and achieve goal 1) and 2) listed above.

And… finally… wattage needed in order for the laser to pass through the moon itself in under a second (yottawatts ? or should we push it it further to the order of…. YodaWatts ? (lame joke alert ) .
I’m asking this only because I’m planning to build a Deathstar in my garage.

Please post the formulae used. Thanks.

Q: How do I calculate the molar mass (in g/mol) of CaWO4?

Q: How do I set up a proportion to find the scale factor of my room?

Q: I have a science experiment I need to do for school. The question is “What chemicals are present in river water compared to ocean and storm water?” What do I need to do/use to find out the answer?

Q: I read electrons leave the negative of a battery and flow through a circuit then enter the positive of the battery. I also read for every electron that leaves the negative of the battery one must enter the positive. My question is about negative ion generators. Some even work with batteries. So where do the negative ions which are just electrons, come from as they are emitted from the negative ion generator? Do they come from the flow from negative to positive of the battery? I did not know electrons could be taken from the flow, as they leave the negative, since that would prevent them from entering the positive of the battery.