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World's Largest Nanotube Model

Posted by Zonk on from the better-than-a-ball-of-twine-i-guess dept.

darthpenguin writes "A group at Rice University has completed building the world's largest Nanotube model. Rice University is a leader in this revolutionary field involving nanotubes and buckyballs, which have the potential to revolutionize certain areas of science. The completed model, a full 360 meters in length, has been accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records."

89 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Definition of Irony: by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful


    A group at Rice University has completed building the world's largest Nanotube model.

    Someone ought to call the kids over at Rice University and let them know they're working in the wrong direction....the whole point of nanotubes is that they're supposed to be small.

    Seriously, though, shouldn't these kids be working on something other than trying to get into the Book of Records? Like, perhaps, doing work with actual nanotubes?

    The completed model, a full 360 meters in length, has been accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records.

    Wow...what's the category? World's Biggest Waste of Time ?

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:Definition of Irony: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Wow...what's the category? World's Biggest Waste of Time ?
      I think that pretty well describes everything in the Guinness Book of World Records.
    2. Re:Definition of Irony: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I dont think the grandparent post was someone who claimed to be doing legitimate scientific research.

      Just becuase you don't agree with someone does not make it flamebait.

      Grow up.

    3. Re:Definition of Irony: by Council · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Like posting on /.?

      No, wait, before you mod me down -- this is a fallacy I see a lot that bothers me and will probably come out a lot in these comments. When someone does something big and pointless and it's closely related to something good for the world, people say "what a waste of time!" but when they do something big and pointless and geeky that doesn't remind you about the world's problems, people say "cool!" Millions of people are wasting time constantly, including people with the potential to change the world tremendously.

      Put another way, researchers don't have to devote every minute of their lives to doing research. Especially not when we're wasting our lives posting about them on /.

      Though the GWR is silly.

      --
      xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
    4. Re:Definition of Irony: by shaunkreider · · Score: 1

      Think carbon fibre, materials made out of carbon nanotube mesh would be the strongest in existence...

    5. Re:Definition of Irony: by Council · · Score: 1

      There are children starving because of me. Dying.

      Seriously. I either have to not think, be okay with that, or go insane. I'm wavering between the first two.

      --
      xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
    6. Re:Definition of Irony: by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      Wow...what's the category? World's Biggest Waste of Time ?

      I think that pretty well describes everything in the Guinness Book of World Records.

      Except the guy who ate the bicycle. I mean, come on, that could solve the problem with our landfills.

      Too bad they don't cover eating records any more. Of course, from what I've seen, the Guiness books only have about a tenth of the content they had in their heydays in the 70's.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    7. Re:Definition of Irony: by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 1
      It's loke the old Soviet triumph:
      "World's Largest Microchip!"

      --
      "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
      Never been known to fail..."
    8. Re:Definition of Irony: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      What a bunch of FSCKING trolls the first few posters are. They sound like a bunch of idiot business majors or something. What a bunch of clueless unimaginative wastes of skin. Here's a clue stupid set of tools: you can use this long string to build a car 50 times as strong as steel, but weighing 50 times as less. If you built an aircraft out of it, it could fly 500 times as far on 1/10 the fuel. You could build buildings 500 stories tall. You could make products that last practically forever. And all the first posters can muster out of their limited grey matter is "whutsit good fer?" "thet don dew nuthin" So to these stuipd trogs, I submit "you know, it's one of those stuipd 'science only' types of inventions, you know, kinda like that transistor thing."

    9. Re:Definition of Irony: by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 1
      What really astounds me is that people are ignorant enough to think that nothing "meaningful" can come of fanciful things like this. I recommend that these people watch the BBC Connections series sometime and realize that innovation sparks from a series of seemingly random occurences. The Trigger Effect as Burke called it. Who knows that this model might inspire somebody to create, and who knows what effects the construction of this may hold in the distant future.

      --
      Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    10. Re:Definition of Irony: by Gentlewhisper · · Score: 1

      Hey! I just invented the World's best solar powered torchlight!

      --
      Online backup with Mozy, sounds like Ozzie, but more!
    11. Re:Definition of Irony: by RFINN · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Dude - you're an idiot.

      Structures like this tube are what will be needed for applications such as a space elevator cable and fuel tanks that can hold hydrogen (the hydrogen binds to nanotubes and can be packed more densly than in an empty vacuum).

      And it's not the "kids" working on these kinds of projects - the goals are set by people like Rick Smalley, who invented and named the Bucky Ball.

      The cost of making nanotubes needs to come down before it can be used commerically however - and lo and behold it costs less to produce longer strands.

      Last time I spoke with the folks at Rice's Center for Nanoscale Technology they were talking about this as a milestone on their way to $1/gram instead of $1000/gram it stands near now.

      --
      -- Richard Finn http://www.random-seed.com/
    12. Re:Definition of Irony: by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      Yeah and at 6 feet 7 inches, I'm the world's tallest midget.

      Get GBoWR on the phone, I need media coverage!

    13. Re:Definition of Irony: by tsa · · Score: 1

      Actually, they are a lot cheaper. Of course it depends on how pure you want them, but for example look here. Around $60 a gram!

      --

      -- Cheers!

    14. Re:Definition of Irony: by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      There are children starving because of me. Dying. Seriously. I either have to not think, be okay with that, or go insane. I'm wavering between the first two.

      Then I'm glad to offer you a way out: You could support: Oxfam, or Save the Children, or Medecins Sans Frontiers, or any of countless others.

      Seriously, $10.00 can buy the antibiotics to save someone's life in for example, Bangledesh. Give that once a month and at the end of the year think to yourself there are twelve people alive because of you.

      Sure, I'm preaching, but don't pretend there's nothing you can do. :)

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    15. Re:Definition of Irony: by RichardX · · Score: 1

      Heck, it doesn't even have to cost you anything except a couple of seconds (literally) of your time - and you can stay in front of your computer.

      There are a whole bunch of sites that donate advertiser clicks to charity - just click the button once a day and $0.02 or so will go to a charity.
      Sure, it's not much, but if enough people do it it can add up pretty damn quick.

      The Hunger Site is a good place to start (and has links to a bunch of other similar sites at the top)

      Likewise Care2 has a whole collection of donation sites.

      I've looked in to both of these places a bit, and it seems they are reputable (in terms of not skimming off huge amounts for "administrative fees", etc).. but at the end of the day it's not like it costs you anything anyways

      Apologies for the interruption, we now return you to your irregularly programmed schedule.

      --
      Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.
    16. Re:Definition of Irony: by Council · · Score: 1

      I'm not pretending -- the whole point is that I know there is plenty I could do that I don't. And if I did give $10, there would still be someone dying because I didn't give $20. But I'm not saying that to justify not giving $10.

      I'm saying that there's no way I'm going to act like people across the world starving is more important to me than buying a DVD. Any DVD I buy is someone who died because I didn't send them food bought with that money. That's what I have to come to terms with.

      --
      xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
    17. Re:Definition of Irony: by Patchw0rk+F0g · · Score: 2, Interesting

      As both the art director, and production artist, of a recent project, I refute the "waste of time" opinion. Last year, my agency produced for the Atlantic Lottery Corporation a promotion called the Big Scratch. It consisted, in the end, of the production of the World's Largest Scratch Ticket (16'x25'). This has both been the most successful (read $$$$$) promotion in Atlantic Lottery history, but also certified by the Guinness Book.

      If making lots o' cash while gaining a world record is a waste of time, I'd LOVE to waste more!

      --
      When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. ~~ Hunter S. Thompson
    18. Re:Definition of Irony: by h4rm0ny · · Score: 1


      And if I did give $10, there would still be someone dying because I didn't give $20.

      Well, you have a point. Where on the Cheney-Jesus scale are we comfortable? And why? I think it's good to be made uncomfortable from time to time as you have done me - as you say, the fact that you could give $20 is a feeble excuse for not giving $10. I'm going to up my donations a little bit tonight.

      --

      Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
    19. Re:Definition of Irony: by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      Maybe I'm missing it, but why aren't there any photos?

  2. Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I bet my giant miniature poodle would love to play on this thing. I hope it isn't so big that really big small aircraft might hit the side of it.

    1. Re:Great! by qewl · · Score: 2, Funny

      Whoa, whoa, whoa! You have a giant miniature poodle?? So do you get like the advantages of a big dog, like watchdog ability and not accidentally stepping on it, and the advantages of a small dog, like not eating as much and pooping less? Or is it just really small, and eats and shits extra all over the place?

      --

      (\_/)
      (O.o) This is Bunny. (> <)
  3. Oxymoron by Palal · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Isn't this an oxymoron? Enough for the first post

    --
    -Palal
  4. Next step, Mass production by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 1, Interesting

    On a fiber by fiber basis, nanotubes are very fragile. However, in large bunches they are stronger than any other material currently available.

    I'd love to see how they manage to mass produce these things. Such a production ability brings the vaunted "space elevator" closer to reality.

    1. Re:Next step, Mass production by grumpygrodyguy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Score:0, Offtopic.

      Sometimes I wish I could moderate moderators into 0, Offtopic for being such dumbasses.

      --
      The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
  5. Also on display... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... World's tallest Midget.

    1. Re:Also on display... by Have+Blue · · Score: 1

      And just around the corner is the world's shortest giant...
      And just around the next corner is the world's fattest thin man...
      And around the corner after that is the world's thinnest fat man...

  6. Revolutionary Field? by mazarin5 · · Score: 4, Funny
    Rice University is a leader in this revolutionary field involving nanotubes

    The revolutionary field of making gigantic models? :)

    --
    Fnord.
  7. Guinness by Tyler+Eaves · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Any remember when a GWR actually MEANT something? Now seems like they'll give a record to any borderline unique PR stunt...

    --
    TODO: Something witty here...
    1. Re:Guinness by ZorbaTHut · · Score: 3, Funny

      +1, World's Most Insightful Comment Regarding Both The Guinness Book Of World Records And Public Relations In A Negative Fashion

      --
      Breaking Into the Industry - A development log about starting a game studio.
    2. Re:Guinness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      It never really MEANT anything. It's just a book of trivia originally put together to solve heated disputes over trivia in pubs. It's rumored as an advertising gimmick for a quite famous Irish stout

  8. Space Elevator Application? by tquinlan · · Score: 2, Funny

    If they can just build more of these things, and stack them on top of each other, they'll have made a space elevator, one that will be that much strong than one made of real nano-parcticles!

    --
    DBA? Software Engineer? My company is hiring! Click
    1. Re:Space Elevator Application? by ElectricOkra · · Score: 1

      world's largest Nano-Space Elevator..?

      --
      Great Spirits have always encountered violent opposition from Mediocre Minds - A. Einstein
    2. Re:Space Elevator Application? by jag2k · · Score: 1

      Then NASA can buy it from them for 29 cents.

  9. Community building by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's just about pulling together as chemistry geeks. Most of the world's monuments were largely about this. Partially the local religion, but mostly "look at this fucking thing we built."

    That's a valuable thing in and of itself. The actual thing doesn't have to then be useful.

    You could suggest they do a charity instead, but that wouldn't necessarily pull them together. You can't just force people to enjoy the same charity.

    You might want to look at what human beings are like sometime.

    1. Re:Community building by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful


      You might want to look at what human beings are like sometime.

      Actually, no...I wouldn't. Every time I try that, it takes me a whole bottle of Pepto to get my stomach back under control.

      --
      ____

      ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    2. Re:Community building by shadowbearer · · Score: 1


      I drink heavily and listen to the UT2003 level music files at top volume.

      No, seriously. :) It disturbs the neighbors, which I consider adequate payback - ok, it's the only revenge I can afford right now :)

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
    3. Re:Community building by FleaPlus · · Score: 1

      It disturbs the neighbors, which I consider adequate payback - ok, it's the only revenge I can afford right now :)

      I'm a little confused... you're seeking revenge on your neighbors simply because they're human beings?

  10. Modern Academia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Is not about doing anything useful or revolutionary, its about getting your name and your institution's name printed in whatever publications you can.

    Rice is a relatively small university in the middle of South Texas. I guess instead of doing something relevant in science, they decided to do something for play and get it in Guiness and call it scientific research.

    1. Re:Modern Academia by orkysoft · · Score: 1

      Funny how perspective can skew observations...

      --

      I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
    2. Re:Modern Academia by FleaPlus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The Nobel prize is largely without credibility anyomre becuase of all the political extremism of the Nobel committiee.

      That may be an issue with the Peace prize or even the Economics prize, but I've never heard of somebody accuse the Nobel Prize in Chemistry as being politically extreme.

    3. Re:Modern Academia by josefkk · · Score: 1

      Of course the Chemistry prize is granted on a political basis - it totally favours those liberal jerks who believe in the theory of atoms!

      --
      I think therefore I am. Therefore, I think, I am.
    4. Re:Modern Academia by Fred_A · · Score: 1

      Granted for the Nobel prize for peace, but since there is no Nobel price for economics, no political problems there.

      The "Bank of Sweden Prize in economic sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel" is a recent addition, incorectly reffered to as the "Nobel prize of economics", but it only dates back to the early sixties and is indeed completely political. But it's not a Nobel prize :)

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
  11. Yeah, you were six by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They never meant anything. You were just young. There are comics going back to the 60s about people making the world's largest noodle stack to get in the book. It's always been ridiculous.

    1. Re:Yeah, you were six by RichardX · · Score: 1

      The great thing about the GWR is you can always make a new record...

      Someone beaten you to the record for wearing the most silly hats at once? Set a record for wearing the most silly hats at once... while bouncing on a pogo stick. Backwards, if need be. And while juggling. With eggs.
      And so on.

      --
      Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.
  12. eww by fallendove · · Score: 1, Funny

    Tell these science nerds they can keep their nanotubes and buckyballs to themselves.

  13. Suddenly I don't feel so inadequate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    nanotubes and buckyballs

    I bet their wives tease them all the time.

    1. Re:Suddenly I don't feel so inadequate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's not the size that counts, it's the motion of the matter waves...

  14. Picture Of The Inanimate Carbon Rod by Anti_Climax · · Score: 5, Funny
    Apparently they've posted an ASCII photo of the model to save bandwidth. I think I managed to get it before they site went down. It looks like this
    Fatal error: out of dynamic memory in yy_create_buffer() in Unknown on line 0
    I can't really tell how true to life it is though.
    --
    Even people that believe in pre-destiny look both ways before crossing the street.
    1. Re:Picture Of The Inanimate Carbon Rod by stiefvater · · Score: 1

      i see that too. i guess they're using yacc.

      K.

    2. Re:Picture Of The Inanimate Carbon Rod by advocate_one · · Score: 1

      Mirrordot faithfully reproduced the exact same message... Fatal error: out of dynamic memory in yy_create_buffer() in Unknown on line 0

      --
      Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  15. Worlds smallest nanotube model by NitsujTPU · · Score: 1

    Ok, sure, but what about the worlds smallest nanotube model?

  16. This beats the previous model... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...by 359.99999999 meters.

  17. Definition of Irony: Quadruple DD. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Think carbon fibre, materials made out of carbon nanotube mesh would be the strongest in existence..."

    One could make some serious bras out of that.

  18. To keep it from being boring... by orkysoft · · Score: 3, Funny

    To keep it from being boring, they put a tiny spaceship inside!

    --

    I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
    1. Re:To keep it from being boring... by trentfoley · · Score: 1

      Sweet Zombie Jesus! I hate it when people make obscure references.

      If anyone wants me, I'll be in the angry dome.

  19. Poor Guy... by templest · · Score: 4, Funny
    buckyballs, ...a full 360 meters in length, has been accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records.
    I feel sorry for the dude. I mean, what can he do but wrap them around his waist...
    Oh, I thought... you know what, nevermind.
    --
    I'm a signature virus. Please copy me to your signature so I can replicate.
  20. Google's cache by anandpur · · Score: 4, Informative


    http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:gBFfSbPB4CEJ: blogs.rice.edu/nanotube+&hl=en&client=firefox-a

  21. "a full 360 meters in length" by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow, if just the model is 360m long, imagine how big an ACTUAL nanotube must be!

    --
    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
  22. They're entitled to a PR stunt... by pmadden · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Give them a break... the model is a PR stunt, but the whole nanotube/buckyball thing started at Rice. The feds have started pouring money into nanotech research; if Rice wants to get their fair share of the loot, they need to make sure no one forgets where the nanotube came from. Seems like a lot of /.ers don't know, which is kind of scary.

    Most schools use their sports programs to get positive PR. Rice is doing their PR off of some very solid and useful research that happened on campus. Got a problem with that?

    1. Re:They're entitled to a PR stunt... by NitsujTPU · · Score: 1

      Thank God professors get pulled into the trap that is Slashdot too!

      I'm actually planning on changing my homepage to something other than Slashdot sometime soon (probably Google).

      Getting drawn into flamewars on Slashdot is rarely productive. The articles are interesting (sometimes), but you really can't count on informed commentary anymore.

      I'd just let it roll off your back.

    2. Re:They're entitled to a PR stunt... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

      but the whole nanotube/buckyball thing started at Rice

      As long as it's not transgenic - oh wait...

  23. Nope. Re:Irony... by templest · · Score: 1

    That would be an Oxymoron, Good Sir.
    Ah, Gr. 9 English, what a catalyst for enlightenment you served as.

    --
    I'm a signature virus. Please copy me to your signature so I can replicate.
  24. Re:Space Elevator by orkysoft · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow, you didn't even read the Slashdot Summary.

    --

    I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
  25. Image by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    The site's fried, but Rice University has an image of it (along with some guy's head) on their front page.

    http://www.rice.edu/nanotube04222005.jpg

  26. ok... by BoomTechnology · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ok. In all honesty -- it really wasn't that big of a
    waste of time. We (the students -- undergrad
    students who don't have the knowledge of doing
    this sort of research) were asked by the coordinators to sign up to build the tube.
    Mind you, we did this on a Friday when most of us don't
    work hard anyways (especially those silly Academs).
    OK. Admittedly, I did not partake in these festivities as I was busy with other more important things,
    but for the people who had the time to do it, I'm sure
    it was a bonding experience and I'm sure they had a blast. Plus they got free t-shirts...yum.

    --
    Now then, Dmitri, you know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the Bomb...
    1. Re:ok... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Slashdot could have a story about a 13 year old who single handedly designed and built a working Stargate and you would still get comments like, "so what, I was thinking of doing this," and the ever popular "what a waste of time, they could have been working on a cure for cancer!" So no matter what you do, if you post it on Slashdot you will be belittled by geeks with a superiority complex.

  27. The Fast and the Curious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Rice University? Don't they have better things to do, like put a coffee can exhaust and a spoiler on a Honda civic?

  28. Re:Definition of Irony: NanoBong. by aussie_a · · Score: 2, Informative

    No, no, no. They'd make the world's largest model of the world's smallest joint. Sheeesh.

  29. Nano Nano by AliasMoze · · Score: 1

    Everytime I hear "nano", I think of how far ahead of its time "Mork and Myndy" was.

  30. Re:I got your nanotube... by Gooberheadly · · Score: 1

    You're correct, 'Sir' ... that most assuredly *is* tiny.

  31. Biotech??? O.o what the... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

    What's biotech got to do with this? Nanotubes are ANYTHING but organic. (OK they got carbon yeah, but you get the point).

    Shouldn't /. add a "nanotech" topic, for once? And use a nanotube picture as the icon. There we could deal with nanotubes, nanotransistors, quantum dots, yadda yadda yadda.

    1. Re:Biotech??? O.o what the... by pyrrhonist · · Score: 1
      There we could deal with nanotubes, nanotransistors, quantum dots, yadda yadda yadda.

      Yotta is at the other end of the scale, you want yocto.

      --
      Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
  32. Why is everybody running the other way? by Danuvius · · Score: 1
    A group at Rice University has completed building the world's largest Nanotube model.
    Errr... that's great. No, I mean, really--most excellent! Smashing, one might even say.

    Though... I can't help... but wonder... wasn't the competition-at-large about building the smallest of something?

    ... but hey, never mind, as I said, terrific work, chaps! Capital, I say, capital! Most... errr... grand!!
    --
    Akarsz Magyar Gentoo fórumot? Akkor
  33. Balls and Rods by iamlucky13 · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's pretty cool. I always wanted to build a nanotube (megatube?) with those silly ball and stick molecule kits you play with in intro chemistry, but they never come with more than 15 carbons. One time a bunch of my friends and I pooled together a couple kits and made a bucky-tube, but the teacher wasn't that impressed. He already knew we were nerds and was just worried about us getting the right number of carbons in each kit when we took it apart.

  34. Funny... by Scareduck · · Score: 1

    ... it doesn't look anything like Heidi Klum...

    --

    Dog is my co-pilot.

  35. Ah ... The world's largest ball of twine by Obasan · · Score: 1

    "You know, it's things like this that make me want to move to Canada."

    "Oh, they've got one too, but half of theirs is French!"

    - Sam & Max

  36. 360m, huh? by CellBlock · · Score: 1
    So the thing is 360m long? So it's basically, what, 90 4m nanotube models stuck together?

    Isn't the construction of a nanotube repeating? Why stop at 360m? Couldn't they just add sticks to the end? Did they run out?

    I'm sure it's not quite as simple as just adding more carbons, but I'm sure it's not incredibly difficult (in a modeling sense, that is).

  37. Doesn't that make it a.... by psychgeek · · Score: 1

    "Macrotube"????

  38. Large Nanotube by isaac_akira · · Score: 1

    Doesn't that just make it... a Tube?

  39. So they made a... by Bob+Hearn · · Score: 1

    gigananotube?

  40. Guinness Book by aztec1430 · · Score: 1

    Buckyball model?

    I've just built the worlds largest model of the earth...

    We're all standing on it... :)

  41. Good News! by roman_mir · · Score: 1

    "Yes, it's a perfect scale model of the universe's largest bottle. I put a tiny spaceship inside to keep it from being boring."
    PhD. Hubert J Farnsworth

    --
    You can't handle the truth.
  42. Several thousand miles more... by mikael · · Score: 1

    ... and that space elevator will become reality.

    --
    Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  43. I have the world's largest model by blair1q · · Score: 1

    She weighs 845 lbs and still looks anorexic.

    But, uh, my blog has no pictures, so you'll just have to take The Onion's word for it...

  44. But what IS it? by TheoGB · · Score: 1

    I'm serious. Is it made of lego or something? I mean, given what the PDF says - and as a physicist can I just say how goddam fucking sexy these nanotubes sound in a practical sense - I just can't understand why you would WANT to make this model.

    Can anyone shed any light on it? What does it show us, because from the description we have a long tube made up of repeating C-60 type patterns of molecules?

    While I understand the concept of making it so big because they can, they must surely have started from a practical beginning where a model was of some use. But like a garden hose (say) a section 10cm long is surely as useful for judging what it can do as one 1m long?

    Sorry, I'm probably just being thick. Can someone give us a 5, Informative post on these things? :-D

    1. Re:But what IS it? by Ketsuban · · Score: 1

      The properties of a carbon nanotube change depending on the length - mostly like a length of spaghetti, it becomes more likely to snap the longer it is. It also gets "stickier" - each ring of six carbons is like a benzene ring which has a cloud of electrons either side of it, so things like ions and polar molecules hug the negative charge. The longer the tube, the more benzene-like rings, the more negative charge, the "stickier" it is. There's also a lot of research where they attach hydroxyl groups or various other things and the tube has interesting properties, such as for catalysis or in structure (although it's unlikely we'll build a space elevator anytime soon). Hope that helps. :)

    2. Re:But what IS it? by TheoGB · · Score: 1

      Well cheers. I guess my point is, how on earth would something on a large scale be able to mimic something on such a small scale? That's the thing - why make huge models?

  45. Bonding experience. by berglin · · Score: 1

    > but for the people who had the time to do it, I'm sure it was a bonding experience

    Considering what they we're doing, I'm pretty certain that they we're getting at least some bonding experience.