Recent content by twinbee

Okay, the recent Slashdot thread "Is there a limit to a laser's energy" got me inspired to figure this one out once and for all. Here's the math, and it's on this tree - the 'General Sherman' - the biggest tree in the world...

Hmm, those numbers are quite different. Perhaps you and/or phenol could show some math to back up the claims :P

12 megawatt. Wow - do you think that's fairly accurate? I'm assuming a 1mm laser width/point. I bet the goggles needed for that would be bulky. Nevermind the eyes, even standing by watching would be a burn risk to the rest of the body maybe? For comparison, that military defense laser in the...

I know that high powered lasers are used to cut metal, and how popular high power lasers are around here. That's all well and good, but how many kilowatts of laser power would be required to cut a swathe in one second through say, a giant redwood tree similar to this one...

That's reassuring to hear - thank you. I recall hearing from someone that it would take at least 10-20 mW to feel heat from a laser on the lips. Yes, it was speculation, and a massive approximation, but it was still an educated guess. Don't forget injuries from red lasers below 5mw are AFAIK...

Uggg, SO tempted to make that my sig.... must resist..... :D Btw, I would be a 100x more careful with 100mw than a 5mw (I don't think I've ever heard of an injury with multiple second stares for a red (or even blue/green?) laser less than 5mw, but no I wouldn't advise that! - (though the lips...

Maybe I'm being under cautious because I heard you'd need to stare for several seconds using a 5mw laser to have a chance of causing any lasting damage, but this and this reassures me a bit. I have no intention of staring for 0.25 seconds, let alone any longer. And believe it or not, I have the...

Thanks for your reply. I only want to know VERY roughly. You can be out by a factor of five, and that would be better than nothing, as obviously I don't want to fork out cash for expensive equipment. I'm sure many others would also think the same. The other thing is that I'm thinking it is...

Hi all, I bought a 1mw red laser off Amazon.co.uk for a few quid (mainly to play with the cat/dog), and was wondering if I could confirm it really is 1mw as I've heard a few horror stories here and there ;) I don't want accuracy. Even if the estimate is 100% or even 200% off, that would still...