• festus@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        1 at a time wouldn’t get you a noticeable amount of energy for a bomb (stuff is radioactively decaying around you already right now). A scientist might make some use of it, but with control of only 1 atom at a time they’ll struggle to build really any molecule as I imagine most intermediate molecules would break apart as soon as you “let go” to grab the next atom.

        • thevoidzero@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Depends on what “time” is in case of one at a time. Is it plank time, or is it as fast as I can think the command.

          Even if nothing can be achieved by controlling it, just being able to feel/see the atoms means I can figure things out as a scientist. Finding how atoms are arranged into molecules, proteins etc are super helpful

          • festus@lemmy.ca
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            18 hours ago

            I assumed as fast as you can think the command for each one.

            I agree with feeling being useful for feeling around; I’m happy with the power having some value.

            • thevoidzero@lemmy.world
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              7 hours ago

              I had an idea I wonder if the energy thing can be salvaged. Like uranium to lead happens naturally and the energy is too little from a single atom. But we don’t have to do things naturally. If I’m controlling the atom itself, maybe I can just split all protons and neutrons from the uranium at once, then I have a bunch of free particles that can go collide with other atoms and start a chain reaction.

              I think most powers, even with limitations, probably is going to be useful once we know the clear limits. Maybe not the one that need so much energy and the results are random so you can fail and not be able to try again.