https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Cinnamonfern 2026-04-29T10:29:56Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301245 2022-12-13T14:10:23Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Needs another citation for the anouncment since the one that was present required a subscription to a paper! Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more than the input. It is possible this is meant to directly parody the Department of Energy's anticipated announcement of Q&gt;1 fusion. The announcement is scheduled for the day after this comics release, and the date of this announcement was announced the day this comic went up. {{citation needed}}<br /> <br /> A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator. In the comic, [[Beret Guy]], unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric dam. However, instead of generating energy, it generates a flow of water. This is similar to the way that a fusion reactor takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. While one member of the audience shouts &quot;Hooray!&quot;, another member of audience, who is presumably familiar with regular physics, says &quot;Wait.&quot;, presumably because they realise that, instead of the normal approach, Beret Guy has been pursuing the essentially useless goal of producing more water (or possibly because they're confused that, on the face of it, it appears to be violating {{w|conservation of mass}}, which would usually require that a dam should produce the same amount of water as that fed into it - that said, for a regular dam in a natural valley like the one shown in this comic, it is entirely normal for the dam to &quot;produce&quot; more water than input in the sense that in addition to water from upstream rivers, the dam will also output any &quot;unofficial&quot; inflow from direct rainfall above and from uncharted sources of groundwater below).<br /> <br /> The symbol Q is normally used to refer to {{w|fusion energy gain factor}}, the ratio of power generated by a fusion reactor to the energy used to maintain it. An energy source isn't useful if it takes more power to run it than it produces, so Q &gt; 1 means the reactor is producing net energy. Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q &gt; 1 would have no great significance. Beret Guy has somehow mixed the two up, making the rate of flow as the output of the reaction and increasing it. <br /> <br /> The title text further confuses the issue as it introduces nuclear ''fission'' and equates the hydroelectric dam with a heavy water reactor, which is a special type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium (heavy water) as a moderator to absorb neutrons. This is also a pun because one could simplistically say that a hydroelectric dam runs on the weight of water (potential energy stored in the water: U = mgh), or that it is a water reactor (producing electricity) that is heavy (bulky). While a hydroelectric power plant is not actually a reactor, it would have to be using a reaction (such as 2H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; + O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; -&gt; 2H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O) to create water to satisfy Beret Guy's statement that more water is produced than fed into the dam, while simultaneously satisfying the law of conservation of mass. Alongside that, the title text is possibly making a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the liquid that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today — although [https://what-if.xkcd.com/14/ it could be used as fusion fuel because it is made of hydrogen and oxygen.]<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Beret Guy is standing on a podium behind a lectern. He is gesturing with his hand, palm up, towards a poster hanging behind him. On it is a picture of a tall dam, with a lake behind, and water coming out at the foot of the dam in the valley on the other side. Two voices reacts to Beret Guy's statement from off-panel.]<br /> :Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q&gt;1, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> :Off-panel voice 1: Hooray!<br /> :Off-panel voice 2: Wait.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Public speaking]]<br /> [[Category:Physics]]</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301244 2022-12-13T14:09:47Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Needs another citation for the anouncment since the one that was present required a subscription to a paper! Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more than the input. It is possible this is meant to directly parody the Department of Energy's anticipated announcement of Q&gt;1 fusion. The announcement is scheduled for the day after this comics release, and the date of this announcement was announced the day this comic went up. {{citation needed}}<br /> <br /> A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator. In the comic, [[Beret Guy]], unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric dam. However, instead of generating energy, it generates a flow of water. This is similar to the way that a fusion reactor takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. While one member of the audience shouts &quot;Hooray!&quot;, another member of audience, who is presumably familiar with regular physics, says &quot;Wait.&quot;, presumably because they realise that, instead of the normal approach, Beret Guy has been pursuing the essentially useless goal of producing more water (or possibly because they're confused that, on the face of it, it appears to be violating {{w|conservation of mass}}, which would usually require that a dam should produce the same amount of water as that fed into it - that said, for a regular dam in a natural valley like the one shown in this comic, it is entirely normal for the dam to &quot;produce&quot; more water than input in the sense that in addition to water from upstream rivers, the dam will also output any &quot;unofficial&quot; inflow from direct rainfall above and from uncharted sources of groundwater below).<br /> <br /> The symbol Q is normally used to refer to {{w|fusion energy gain factor}}, the ratio of power generated by a fusion reactor to the energy used to maintain it. An energy source isn't useful if it takes more power to run it than it produces, so Q &gt; 1 means the reactor is producing net energy. Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q &gt; 1 would have no great significance. Beret Guy has somehow mixed the two up, making the rate of flow as the output of the reaction and increasing it. <br /> <br /> The title text further confuses the issue as it introduces nuclear ''fission'' and equates the hydroelectric dam with a heavy water reactor, which is a special type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium (heavy water) as a moderator to absorb neutrons. This is also a pun because one could simplistically say that a hydroelectric dam runs on the weight of water (potential energy stored in the water: U = mgh), or that it is a water reactor (producing electricity) that is heavy (bulky). While a hydroelectric power plant is not actually a reactor, it would have to be using a reaction (such as H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; + O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; -&gt; H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O) to create water to satisfy Beret Guy's statement that more water is produced than fed into the dam, while simultaneously satisfying the law of conservation of mass. Alongside that, the title text is possibly making a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the liquid that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today — although [https://what-if.xkcd.com/14/ it could be used as fusion fuel because it is made of hydrogen and oxygen.]<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Beret Guy is standing on a podium behind a lectern. He is gesturing with his hand, palm up, towards a poster hanging behind him. On it is a picture of a tall dam, with a lake behind, and water coming out at the foot of the dam in the valley on the other side. Two voices reacts to Beret Guy's statement from off-panel.]<br /> :Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q&gt;1, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> :Off-panel voice 1: Hooray!<br /> :Off-panel voice 2: Wait.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Public speaking]]<br /> [[Category:Physics]]</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301173 2022-12-13T04:00:29Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator.<br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric dam, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to the way that a fusion reactor takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. <br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q. Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q &gt; 1 would have no great significance. Beret Guy has mixed the two up. <br /> <br /> The title text further confuses the issue as it introduces nuclear ''fission'' and equates the hydroelectric dam with a heavy water reactor, which is a special type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium as a moderator to absorb neutrons. This is also a pun because one could simplistically say that a hydroelectric dam runs on &quot;heavy water&quot;. The electricity comes from potential energy stored in the water, which is directly related to its mass (U = mgh). Alongside that, it possibly is making a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the stuff that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today. But Beret Guy somehow uses it for true fusion!<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; 1, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301170 2022-12-13T03:55:08Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric dam, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to that a fusion reactor which takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. <br /> <br /> The joke in this comic is that the dam isn't being used to create electricity, but to create water. The symbol Q is normally used to refer to {{w|fusion energy gain factor}}, the ratio of power generated by a fusion reactor to the energy used to maintain it -- an energy source isn't useful if it takes more power to run it than it produces. {{citation needed}} Beret Guy claims that their dam is now producing more water than it takes in from the river. Perhaps, analgous to a fusion reactor, it's combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O.<br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q. Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q &gt; 1 would have no great significance. Beret Guy has mixed the two up. <br /> <br /> The tooltip further confuses the issue as it introduces nuclear ''fission'' and equates the hydroelectric dam with a heavy water reactor, which is a special type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium as a moderator to absorb neutrons. This is also a pun because one could simplistically say that a hydroelectric dam runs on &quot;heavy water&quot;. The energy comes from potential energy of the water, which is directly related to its mass (U = mgh). <br /> <br /> A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator.<br /> <br /> The title text makes a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the stuff that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today. But Beret Guy somehow uses it for true fusion!<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; 1, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301168 2022-12-13T03:53:08Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric dam, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to that a fusion reactor which takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. <br /> <br /> The joke in this comic is that the dam isn't being used to create electricity, but to create water. The symbol Q is normally used to refer to {{w|fusion energy gain factor}}, the ratio of power generated by a fusion reactor to the energy used to maintain it -- an energy source isn't useful if it takes more power to run it than it produces. {{citation needed}} Beret Guy claims that their dam is now producing more water than it takes in from the river. Perhaps, analgous to a fusion reactor, it's combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O.<br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q. Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q &gt; 1 would have no great significance. Beret Guy has mixed the two up. <br /> <br /> The tooltip further confuses the issue as it introduces nuclear ''fission'' and equates the hydroelectric dam with a heavy water reactor, which is a special type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium as a moderator to absorb neutrons. This is also a pun because one could consider a hydroelectric dam to run on &quot;heavy water&quot;, as the electricity is derived from the potential energy of the water, which is directly related to the mass of the water (U = mgh). <br /> <br /> A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator.<br /> <br /> The title text makes a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the stuff that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today. But Beret Guy somehow uses it for true fusion!<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; 1, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301167 2022-12-13T03:48:33Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric dam, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to that a fusion reactor which takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. <br /> <br /> The joke in this comic is that the dam isn't being used to create electricity, but to create water. The symbol Q is normally used to refer to {{w|fusion energy gain factor}}, the ratio of power generated by a fusion reactor to the energy used to maintain it -- an energy source isn't useful if it takes more power to run it than it produces. {{citation needed}} Beret Guy claims that their dam is now producing more water than it takes in from the river. Perhaps, analgous to a fusion reactor, it's combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O.<br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q. Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q &gt; 1 would have no great significance. Beret Guy has mixed the two up. <br /> <br /> The tooltip further confuses the issue as it introduces nuclear ''fission'' and equates the hydroelectric dam with a heavy water reactor, which is a special type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium as a moderator to absorb neutrons. <br /> <br /> A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator.<br /> <br /> The title text makes a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the stuff that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today. But Beret Guy somehow uses it for true fusion!<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; 1, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301160 2022-12-13T03:38:30Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric damn, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to that a fusion reactor which takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. Somehow, Beret Guy has created a &quot;heavy water reactor&quot; which takes water and outputs... more water! Heavy water reactors are also a type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium as a moderator to absorb neutrons. <br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q.<br /> <br /> Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q &gt; 1 would have no great significance.<br /> <br /> <br /> The title text makes a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the stuff that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today. But Beret Guy somehow uses it for true fusion!<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator.<br /> <br /> The joke in this comic is that the dam isn't being used to create electricity, but to create water. The symbol Q is normally used to refer to {{w|fusion energy gain factor}}, the ratio of power generated by a fusion reactor to the energy used to maintain it -- an energy source isn't useful if it takes more power to run it than it produces. Beret Guy claims that their dam is now producing more water than it takes in from the river. Perhaps, analgous to a fusion reactor, it's combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; I, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301158 2022-12-13T03:36:21Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric damn, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to that a fusion reactor which takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. Somehow, Beret Guy has created a &quot;heavy water reactor&quot; which takes water and outputs... more water! Heavy water reactors are also a type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium as a moderator to absorb neutrons. <br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q.<br /> <br /> Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam. <br /> <br /> <br /> The title text makes a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the stuff that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today. But Beret Guy somehow uses it for true fusion!<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; I, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301156 2022-12-13T03:32:08Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric damn, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to that a fusion reactor which takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. Somehow, Beret Guy has created a &quot;heavy water reactor&quot; which takes water and outputs... more water!<br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; I, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Cinnamonfern https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=301155 2022-12-13T03:31:26Z

<p>Cinnamonfern: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2710<br /> | date = December 12, 2022<br /> | title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br /> | image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br /> | imagesize = 261x303px<br /> | noexpand = true<br /> | titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Please don't change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br /> <br /> The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more then the input.<br /> <br /> In the comic, Beret Guy, unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric damn, which instead of generating energy, generates water. This is similar to that a fusion reactor which takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. Somehow, Beret Guy has created a &quot;heavy water reactor&quot; which takes water and outputs... more water!<br /> <br /> Q is the fusion energy gain factor for fusion reactors. When Q is greater then 1, the output is greater then the input energy by a factor of Q.<br /> <br /> <br /> The variable used for the volumetric flow rate of a hydroelectric dam is usually &quot;Q&quot;. Beret guy seems to be confusing the volumetric flow rate (Q), which is the volume of water moving through the dam with respect to time, with the capacity factor, which is the amount of electricity produced by a power plant with respect the theoretical maximum energy output. This is always &lt;1. Further, stating that the dam is producing more water than is fed into it, violates the law of conservation of mass. All the water that goes into the dam must leave the dam.<br /> <br /> The tooltip then equates a hydroelectric power plant with a heavy water reactor, which is a type of nuclear reactor. This is also a bit of a pun because hydroelectricity is produced from the conversion of the potential energy of the water (related to its weight) into electricity.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> <br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> [Beret Guy is standing on a podium. A lectern is in front of him, and he is pointing to a picture behind him of a dam.]<br /> <br /> Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q &gt; I, producing more water than we fed into it!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Hooray!<br /> <br /> Off-panel voice: Wait. <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Cinnamonfern