Tron Fanatic Wrote:Doesn't that imply the 'perfect machine?' As in, no energy loss?
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No it just means that as long as you feed it matter to convert into energy, it can keep going. Presumably some of it would be used up / lost in the process, thus keeping it within the laws of thermodynamics.
Think of it this way. One kilogram of matter, if converted completely to energy, would release the equivalent energy of a mulit-kiloton atomic explosion. Einstein taught us that. That should be more than enough to fuel the Shiva laser, even if it's efficiency is atrocious --it's a LOT of energy.
So, say, you want to rez up a nice old-school Tron tank. Let's say that puppy weighs in at just shy of 70 tons. So, to do it, you need to first dematerialize somewhere over that weight, to provide both the raw materials for the finished tank and the energy to power the process. The formula would be:
69 tons (the tank) + x (the amount of matter needed to convert to the energy needed to do the whole job) = the amount of matter you'd need to feed the Shiva.
The bad part is that extra matter is for practical intents gone, you're not getting it back. The good part is it can be anything, rock, soil, even garbage. The mass is what matters, not it's composition.
The Shiva is appropriately named, as it is truly a god machine. It takes in waste, and outputs goods and energy. It would make all other forms of energy generation and manufacturing instantly obsolete, and would also completely revolutionize construction.
Of course, by using raw matter as it's fuel, the energy that is lost in the process through basic thermodynamic ineficciencies means you actually lose matter, but it doesn't seem from the films that it actually uses that much so it should be quite a while before we feel any pinch on raw matter supplies.
Like I have said repeatedly, give me a Shiva laser and I'll take over the world.