Foundationverse power generation.

[Murazor]

The present text is the result of study of "The Traders" (4th part of Foundation) and may provide evidence about the power generation of the Foundation "nucleonic energy".

In this part of the book, a Trader from the Foundation is captured by a republic that refuses to be contaminated by the "nuclear evil" of Foundation technology. Another Trader arrives in Askone and in exchange for the life of the other Trader, a ransom in gold is demanded. The second Trader builts with the power unit of a "food irradiator" a transmutator that transforms iron or steel in gold. How is such an effect achieved? There are four possibilities IMO.

1) Somehow everything was an illusion and the gold wasn't true gold. This is extremely unlikely as both the narrator and the trader say that it was true gold and the askonians tested in several different ways the gold.

2) The transmutator rearranged the subatomic structure of matter in order to turn iron into gold. If so, the mass shouldn't change over the transformation.

3) The transmutator created matter from energy in order to turn iron atoms in gold atoms. If so, the volume shouldn't change over the transformation. Given the description of the event, this is IMO the more likely option.

The final ransom was of 250 kg of gold after 13 days. Knowing the density of gold, this mass of gold has a volume equivalent to that of about 100 kg of iron. The transmutator would have created 150 kg in 13 days.

Considering that e=mc^2, the low end for such a energy-matter transformation would be 45 million terajoules (1,5 * 10^5 g * (3 * 10^8 m/s)^2) with 100% efficiency. 13 days are 1.123.200 seconds and as a result of this, we find that the transmutator, with 100% efficiency and non-stop working should have generated power in the 45 terawatt order.

4) There is some strange technobabble involved that prevents any energy quantification.

This is the work of a Foundation fan with little hard science knowledge who is trying to get some hard numbers for said universe. Constructive feedback or pointing any stupid mistake in my calculations will be thanked as a result.

[NecronLord]

Three is unjustified. Two is the most likely solution. Sorry.

[Murazor]

Three is unjustified. Two is the most likely solution. Sorry.

There is justification for both options:

Option two: If they can create matter from energy at such a level, the transmuter (I checked the English translation) shouldn't have needed matter in the first place. However, the Trader was dealing with fanatics who might have not accepted gold appeared out of thin air.

Option three: As I have pointed above, if two is true a change in volume should have happened as gold is a far denser material. However, the scene doesn't show any change in the shape or volume of the transmuted metal.

The Grand Master's small shining eye wandered and stopped, "Randel, your buckles. Come, man, they shall be replaced double if need be."

The buckles passed down the line, hand to hand. The Grand Master weighed them thoughtfully.

"Here," he said, and threw them to the floor.

Ponyets picked them up. He tugged hard before the cylinder opened, and his eyes blinked and squinted with effort as he centered the buckles carefully on the anode screen. Later, it would be easier but there must be no failures the first time.

The homemade transmuter crackled malevolently for ten minutes while the odor of ozone became faintly present. The Askonians backed away, muttering, and again Pherl whispered urgently into his ruler's ear. The Grand Master's expression was stony. He did not budge.

And the buckles were gold.

Ponyets held them out to the Grand Master with a murmured, "Your Veneration!" but the old man hesitated, then gestured them away. His stare lingered upon the transmuter.

Ponyets said rapidly, "Gentlemen, this is pure gold. Gold through and through. You may subject it to every known physical and chemical test, if you wish to prove the point. It cannot be identified from naturally-occurring gold in any way. Any iron can be so treated. Rust will not interfere, not will a moderate amount of alloying metals--"

But Ponyets spoke only to fill a vacuum. He let the buckles remain in his outstretched hand, and it was the gold that argued for him.

The Grand Master stretched out a slow hand at last, and the thin-faced Pherl was roused to open speech. "Your Veneration, the gold is from a poisoned source."

Buckles are still buckles. This points that volume doesn't change, thus giving option three some credit.

[NecronLord]

And yet you assume that the buckles didn't change in volume. It's far easier to assume that the converter just put void space into the buckles, no?

[Murazor]

And yet you assume that the buckles didn't change in volume. It's far easier to assume that the converter just put void space into the buckles, no?

True, it can also be interpreted this way. For obvious reasons, I like more option three, but your position is valid.

Would it be posible to calculate a low end for iron-gold transmutation? After all, we are talking about rearranging matter into a situation of higher energy.