On Nov 24, 2012, at 14:47, mix...@bigpond.com wrote: > Pointless line of thought, and no it wouldn't be elastic. (The ball in the > pinball machine heats up the glue). ;)
I'm sure you're right. I was just thinking that if the majority of the heat energy was confined to the D nuclei, then dissipation of energy from the system would not be too great, and there would be occasion for a large number of collisions with varying levels of energy -- I think you were saying that a large number of collisions would be needed to get a fusion. If the collisions are inelastic, then I understand there will be energy transferred to the lattice. But the size of the substrate atoms is large compared to the deuterons, so perhaps the treansfer of energy would be minimal? I will go read a physics textbook now and spare you further interrogation. ;) Eric
