>A powerful ayylien artifact can turn matter into energy and

>>44303165
Depends on the setting, system, and how efficiently it can do so.

So the thing is basically an internal component of an alien power generator? Super useful.

>>44303165
Matter into energy: Extremely useful, depending on what kind of matter and what form of energy. Applications are unlimited, or rather only limited by the fact that you have only one device.

Energy into matter: Vastly less useful, since the amount of energy in any significant amount of matter is too much to store. If it can do both functions at the same time and turn matter into different matter with the same mass, then it could be very useful.

>>44303165
This might sound retarded, but couldn't that shit literally stop the fucking heat death of the universe?

Sounds like the ultimate culmination of sentience to me.

>>44303463
Insufficient data for meaningful answer.

>>44303165
does it matter?

>>44303516
Don't quote Asimov on me senpai, couldn't you just simply transport mass/energy to the "center" of cosmic mass so that it doesn't disappear into the abyss with enough of those things?

>>44303556
That's not really answer to question that's been asked, and since waste from transporting also contributes to entropy it would be counterproductive.

Interesting thing about device in OP's question would be whether it bends, breaks or obeys laws of thermodynamics.

>>44303463
yes.
Entropy is the equal distribution of all energy between all particles. With a machine like that you could take energy from all stable particles and turn into matter, only to use it again to power dying suns, devices and everything else.

>>44303556
No. The expansion of space can't be stopped by moving matter.

Think of the universe as a big balloon. Galaxies, stars, all the matter in the universe are little dots on the balloon. As the balloon fills with air and expands, like how the universe expands, the dots grow further apart. Not because they are being moved at all, but because the balloon on which they're drawn is growing. If you could somehow take the dots and move them closer together, it wouldn't matter; the universe is still expanding no matter what you do.

If you wish to stop entropy with such a device, think again: moving matter closer together would actually only speed up the process of the universe moving towards maximum entropy. Black holes, which of course are formed when gravity pulls together nearby matter, have the maximum possible entropy of any object of equal size. The more matter that falls into black holes, the closer the universe comes to heat death. So putting everything closer together is actually a terrible idea.

Now, if the supposed device could take matter out of black holes and put it somewhere else, then you might be onto something. But mathematically, I think the energy required to do such a thing would have to be greater than the energy potential of the matter you're grabbing from the black hole. So I dunno if it'd even make sense to do.

>>44303713
It only transforms so it probably at least makes sense.
Would probably qualify as a form of "Maxwell's Demon".

>>44303801
>the universe is still expanding no matter what you do.
>I indeed failed to take dark energy into account


Sheeeeeit nigga

>>44303713
Breaks it. It doesn't specify whether entropy can be reversed. As it stands, we could convert a molten pile of slag metal into energy and then into a frozen crystal structure near absolute zero, thereby violating thermo.

>>44303842
We don't really know how that works, so it's probably safe to ignore until we figure it out.

>>44303859
That wouldn't necessarily have to violate thermodynamics. The heat/energy taken from the original metal and lost when converting it to the absolute zero substance could simply be displaced as a waste product instead of disappearing. Which would still conserve the energy while effectively transforming the subject matter.

>>44303859
It doesn't have to specify limits on its use. It could be the "you can have this pattern materialised but we will nuke a random city to pay off your cosmic debt" kind of deal

even if this device only performed one or another of the functions, it would be the most useful thing ever discovered.
>Matter into energy
A complete mass conversion device would be the most efficient rocket motor possible. Spaceflight would be so easy as to be trivial. I imagine there would be further opportunities such as terrestrial energy generation. A grain of sand provides a city with a days worth of power, hunger and deprivation is abolished due to this magnificent machine.
>Energy into matter
This is slightly less useful, unless it can go matter-energy-matter at which point it's a matter converter or perfect fabricator. Being able to convert elements would be endlessly useful, and has been a goal for many centuries. But still, if this machine can passively soak up energy, like solar or heat energy then eventually the machine would make more matter. Resource scarcity would become a thing of the past. Amazing.

>>44304124
>A complete mass conversion device would be the most efficient rocket motor possible.

Mind you, you really wouldn't want to get in the way of the exhaust. The power of a photon rocket for any meaningful thrust is astronomical.

And if it doesn't directly convert to focused photons, then you'll have to convert them yourself - and you'll only be able to handle a limited amount of power with any nom-unobtanium technology.

>>44303165
It depends on the device and what type of energy is given off and how much. Also how easily it's toggleable.

But provided it has acceptable values for the above, it could be very useful.

>>44304124
If you plated the entire planet Earth in 100% efficient solar panels, and stripped off the atmosphere so no clouds could get in the way, you could produce ... about 2 kilograms of matter per second.

I feel like there are better ways to make 2 kilograms of material per second that use less than the entire energy output of a Type I civilization.

>>44304396
>Two kilos of material a second is a fucking lot.

You know what's a better way to make two kilos of material per second? A shovel.

You want rarer materials? Use more shovels.

That's what I was referring to.

>>44304461
>A shovel makes material

A shovel transports already existing material you fucking faggot.

You can literally make planets out of the blue with enough Dyson Spheres using this theoretical tech.

>>44304356
This is why you make Dyson swarms.
Or if that's too much for you, convert Mercury into solar panels.

>>44304356
>I feel like there are better ways to make 2 kilograms of material per second that use less than the entire energy output of a Type I civilization.
Just throwing junk at the item to turn it into energy to turn it into mass again would be the way to go.

>>44304501
>A shovel transports already existing material you fucking faggot.

Yes. That's my point. There's absolute masses of matter that already exists. Making matter from energy is rather pointless.

For instance, for the exact same amount of power you're using to create 2 kg/s, you could directly lift 1,000,000 kg/s from the Sun's surface. You could then transmute it with the device if you want things besides hydrogen.

>You could literally make planets out of the blue

100% of the Sun's power output comes directly from the Sun transmuting mass into energy.

If you wish to obtain mass, it's much faster and efficient to simply directly remove mass from the Sun.

File: COLOUROUTOFSPACEFANTNEWS.jpg (87KB, 475x617px) Image search: [Google]

87KB, 475x617px

>>44304501
>You can literally make planets out of the blue with enough Dyson Spheres using this theoretical tech.
I'm not so sure making stuff from the colors of space is a good thing.

>>44304124
>>44303165
>Energy into matter: Vastly less useful

You gotta be squidding me. It's the ultimate defense. Bullets coming your way? Nope. Nuclear bomb thrown at you, nope. Lasers, nope, missiles, nope, railguns, nope.

Turning kinetic energy into matter and back would totally wreck conservation of momentum and energy, it's endless free power without even having to convert mass.

>>44305177
>Turning kinetic energy into matter and back would totally wreck conservation of momentum and energy, it's endless free power without even having to convert mass.

And what makes you think it would wreck conservation of momentum and energy, given that it's possible to covert matter to energy and vice versa while respecting conservation of energy?

>>44305221
It's just like that argument a little further upthread - why assume that it works in a way which violates thermodynamics, since it's possible to convert matter to energy and vice versa without violating thermodynamics?

>>44305177
Oh, it's also an infinite heat sink. Very handy in space.

>>44305342
Why? Why should the device be able to violate thermodynamics? We know that the laws of physics allow conversion of matter into energy and energy into matter while respecting the laws of thermodynamics, so why assume that this device violates them?

>>44305375
Because you can't have a perfectly efficient mass energy converter, therefore this thing breaks physics and does not have to break thermo as well. QED. Plus, it's more fun that way.

>>44303165
have midgets hit it with rubber hammers until it shits out 1kg of gold
use this experiment as basis to calculate the usefulness of the device

eventually punch people into waves of kinetic energy for fun

>>44303556
There is no center to cosmic mass