• Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk
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      14 hours ago

      Pffft. An ‘atom bomb’ as a unit of measurement is (roughly) equal to:

      ff x (hdl/afps) x solh x amb

      Where:
      ff = football fields
      hdl = hot dog lengths
      afps = average Floridian pants size
      solh = Statues of Liberty heights
      amb = average medical bill.

    • CptOblivius@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Yes but at that level of energy no unit is useful for the average person to comprehend. I somewhat understand the usage here. If it was in joules very few people would be able comprehend.

      • moopet@sh.itjust.works
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        12 hours ago

        But then why pick 23, a number with two significant digits, to indicate scale? By this logic, 10 would be as effective at communication.

      • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        The 9 GW are already there if anyone needs a proper value, but without anything to compare it to, 9GW means nothing to most people. Hence the comparison.

        • Jarix@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          9 is not the total energy. The article says the total thermal load is 16. 9 for the electrical usage and another 7-8 in the form of cooling. It also says that’s the amount of 40,000 Walmart Supercenters…if you want another non standard American unit of measurement

    • squaresinger@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      If you want a standard unit of measurement, I trust you can re-read the title and find “9GW” in there. That is a proper standard unit, but to most people a number so mindbogglingly huge makes no sense at all, so they added a comparison to something people are more likely to being able to even roughly conceptualize.

      • Jarix@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        That 9gw is not the whole amount. the total thermal load is 16GW.

        Which according to the pdf is equal to 40,000 Walmart supercenters if someone needs a non standard, American unit of measurement…

        • lukaro@lemmy.zip
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          1 day ago

          Thats enough power to send Doc and Marty on 14 and half trips through time.