What's your dissertation about?

[Yellow Fang]

Regarding the heavy water project or dissertation: I would try to make the heaviest water possible by combining Tritium (Hydrogen isotope with one proton and two neutrons) atoms with the heaviest isotope of Oxygen that you can get. According to google that is Oxygen 28, amazingly enough. Tritium is radioactive with a half-life of about 12 years. Oxygen 28 has a half-life of 650 yoctoseconds, which is 10^-24 seconds, which is not very long at all. But then it ejects two neutrons to become Oxygen 26, which has a half-life of 4.2 picoseconds, which is also not very long. Then it ejects another two neutrons to become Oxygen 24, which has a half-life of 77.4 ms, which is also not very long. Then it ejects an electron, so I think then it becomes a radioactive isotope of Fluorine. So I think then, instead of having radioactive water, you would have radioactive hydrofluoric acid and radioactive hydrogen gas. Could be wrong. It is a long time since I did my Chemistry A level and I only got a D. Maybe I'd go for the heaviest stable form of water, which would be two Deuterium atoms (Hydrogen 2) and an Oxygen 18 atom.

Edit: I have thought of an application. This sort of water would have a Mole value of 22. Normal water would have a Mole value of 18. When water freezes into ice it floats because it is about 10% less dense. However ice from heavy water would be about 20% heavier. So heavy water ice cubes would sink. I could sell them for $100 an ice cube to billionaires, premiership footballers and Hollywood stars. I could use a centrifuge to extract the heaviest water from normal water like they enrich Uranium, or maybe fractional distillation. It would cost a lot, but that would justify the $100 per ice cube price tag.

 

[annedonnelly]

I didn’t do a dissertation in fourth year sec mod but each boy/girl had to talk for ten minutes on their hobby. My talk was on flying control line diesel powered model aircraft which interested the boys and all the girls dozed off.

One of our registration class teachers ran a mastermind-type quiz for everyone in the class. We each had to choose a specialist subject which he later asked us questions on. Thinking about it he must've done an awful lot of research to come up with questions on specialist subjects for 30 different teenagers.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Theoretical Cosmology - Hawking vs Rea - Who solved the space/time concept?*

*the answer is Chris Rea just because he's a legend.

 

[Drago]

Arguments for Chris Rea being a God and not an extraterrestrial visitor.

 

[BrumJim]

"Improvement in cycling speed as a correlation of money spent".

Would have to demonstrate independence against actual performance improvements from the upgrades, of course. Just a theory that if you spend >£2000 on a new bike, you need to justify the spend, so you ride harder. And on a smaller scale, buy some latex inner tubes, and you want to see how much faster you are, so push harder. Otherwise you look like an idiot.

 

[AndyRM]

My dissertation for my BA was "The Open Source Software Model: An Open Discussion". I'm still interested in that, but a lengthy essay isn't part of the MA I'm currently studying (although I have just had to write a 3,000 word business plan).

If I had to, I'd probably do something around accessibility and privacy, with a particular focus on social media.

 

[Grant Fondo]

I very nearly did a PhD in the mid 90's on early christian architecture in the UK.
Maybe still on the bucket list?

 

[matticus]

Edit: I have thought of an application. This sort of water would have a Mole value of 22. Normal water would have a Mole value of 18. When water freezes into ice it floats because it is about 10% less dense. However ice from heavy water would be about 20% heavier. So heavy water ice cubes would sink. I could sell them for $100 an ice cube to billionaires, premiership footballers and Hollywood stars. I could use a centrifuge to extract the heaviest water from normal water like they enrich Uranium, or maybe fractional distillation. It would cost a lot, but that would justify the $100 per ice cube price tag.

I think you'd be better to try this on Dragons Den.

 

[blackrat]

My dissertation was: "The effect economic conditions had on historical events. "

 

[Yellow Fang]

My dissertation was: "The effect economic conditions had on historical events. "

I imagine that is quite a wide ranging subject.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Most bicycles have chains, although belts and shafts have been tried. Maybe I would modify a bicycle to be driven by electrical induction. Your pedals would work a generator which would power a motor in the back wheel. People would look in wonder. It must have been tried before so the dissertation would be why it does not work very well.

 

[Baldy]

Most bicycles have chains, although belts and shafts have been tried. Maybe I would modify a bicycle to be driven by electrical induction. Your pedals would work a generator which would power a motor in the back wheel. People would look in wonder. It must have been tried before so the dissertation would be why it does not work very well.

Sounds familiar, I don't think they were very efficient.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The Ideal Temperature for Custard Setting: A sensory and scientific analysis.

 

[Grant Fondo]

The Ideal Temperature for Custard Setting: A sensory and scientific analysis.

I'd be stuffed on that one as I only like
Crème Anglaise

 

[Reynard]

I'd be stuffed on that one as I only like
Crème Anglaise

In that case, a Boule de Berlin from a Belgian bakery should scratch that itch!