Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"...the elements of cyberpunk have dissolved into the whole SF genre, so it’s hard to find anyone writing who doesn’t owe serious debts to Gibson and his crew."
- Richard Morgan
 |
| Electron Gun | ||
| How to add a lot of electrons to a lot of positrons? |
A businessman decides to corner the market on potable water by changing natural water to heavy water. How can you even find him?
Having found his hidden base, an electron gun is needed to make some permanent changes, and return the natural order.
How Munn has been curving his
streams of positrons so that we can’t
check back by directional angles to their
source. He’s superimposed an additional positive charge. The earth is an
enormous magnet. The south pole is
its negative pole. As a result of the
extra charge the streams of positrons,
no matter which way they start out
originally, feel the pull of the south
pole and swerve slightly, but continuously, in that direction. Given the
amount of surplus charge, the pull of
the earth, the voltage and speed of the
electrons, I believe I’ll be able to plot
their paths back to the point of origin.
| Sandy Dale went
into action. The snout of his queer-looking machine pointed straight for
the cavern opening. It was simple in
construction. Two upright tubes of
heavy quartz filled with helium, a highly
compact electrostatic machine for generating continuous streams of electrons
from the helium gas; and an impulse-breaker for emitting them in surges.
The helium glowed into incandescence; the hum of the machine grew to a piercing shriek. The air along the path of the streaming particles glittered with fine pin points of flame. The hurtling electrons crashed with inconceivable velocity into the circling positrons. Positive and negative coalesced and vanished into the substratum of the cosmos. A blinding flare of radiation marked the disappearance.
 (Electron gun from 'The Great Thirst' by Nat Schachner) The great concave arch of the protective curtain took form and visibility as a huge bending sheet of flame, A gasp of astonishment went up from the bewildered troops. The colonel’s mouth was agape. Sandy grinned and set the machine up a notch. The whine became almost unbearable. The curtain of fire pushed in as though it were an elastic ball, but still it did not break. |
| Technovelgy from The Great Thirst,
by Nat Schachner. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1934 Additional resources -
|
As usual, though, more power carries the day!
See also contraterrene matter from Collision Orbit (1942) by Jack Williamson.
Thanks to @MrBeamJockey for tweeting about this classic story.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Great Thirst
More Ideas
and Technology by Nat Schachner
Tech news articles related to The Great Thirst
Tech news articles related to works by Nat Schachner
| Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram |
| Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable |
| Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship |
| DNA Printed Book By Isaac Asimov Now Available |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
'Oscar picked up a trowel. 'I'm the tool for the mortar,' the little trowel squeaked cheerfully.'
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'
The Roujin Z system provides care to fully bedridden patients - and then some!
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
'Annealed in any shape for a time, and codified, the structure of that shape is retained down to the molecules.'
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
'...the imaginary companions discovered by needful children.'
