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Physicists Extend Moore's Law For Tiny Devices

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the very-small-advances dept.

schliz writes to mention that a team of quantum physicists have demonstrated how to significantly reduce the effects of "stiction," or the tendency for two very small, very close objects to stick together as a result of Casimir force. "'The Casimir force might be one of the many reasons that very small, movable components in micromechanical devices sometimes stick together,' said Ho Bun Chan, a assistant professor of physics at the University of Florida who is researching the Casimir force. 'The Casimir effect increases rapidly as the separation between components decreases. It becomes significant when the separation is reduced to below about 400 nm,' he told iTnews."

8 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. that explains a lot by v1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I always wondered why stuff always sticks to one of my sweaters..

    --
    I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    1. Re:that explains a lot by john83 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I always wondered why stuff always sticks to one of my sweaters..

      If it's the Casimir effect, you should probably get a bigger sweater.

      --
      Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
    2. Re:that explains a lot by pitchpipe · · Score: 5, Funny

      If it's the Casimir effect, you should probably get a bigger sweater.

      I think he was talking about the "cashmere" effect.

      --
      Look where all this talking got us, baby.
    3. Re:that explains a lot by An+ominous+Cow+art · · Score: 2, Funny

      So he should also stop listening to Led Zeppelin.

  2. Phew! by Ngarrang · · Score: 3, Funny

    We dodged a real bullet there, I tell ya! I mean, had they not enacted this extension when they did, we would have been stuck. And I mean STUCK with the large devices are forced to use now.

    I think Casmir should be taken out behind the tool shed and whipped for his bad behavior.

    --
    Bearded Dragon
  3. Re:More Info by Red+Flayer · · Score: 5, Funny

    And for those of us who couldn't remember which online enclycopedia is a good, free place to look up terms we aren't sure of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia.

    Just in case.

    You know, just in case somoene forgot.

    Forgot about wikipedia, I mean.

    Because, apparently, looking something up on wikipedia is esoteric enough that a post with a link to wikipedia (and nothin else!) is informative. :)

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  4. Re:Casimir Effect? by ucblockhead · · Score: 2, Funny

    If only there were a way to create some way of making some sort of text that, when clicked, took you directly to the post.

    --
    The cake is a pie
  5. Re:Let's here it for Zero Point Energy by hr+raattgift · · Score: 5, Funny

    ZPM power production[*] is rated in the non-SI unit "Plot" (analogous to J/s, the second derivative of energy[**], and the first derivative of work[***]).

    A ZPM's normal production appears to be approximately 0.1 Plot per episode in which it is portrayed, although in some episodes a ZPM shows how powerful a device it can be, delivering just shy of a full Plot.

    The third derivative of energy, "Twist", analogous to J/s^2, can be used to analyse the output of the ZPM over the duration of an episode. In some cases the ZPM provides a substantial Twist, progressing from normal power production to zero or to explosive overload within the span of an Act.

    A high-Twist, high-Plot device is consistent with the ZPM as portrayed in Stargate SG-1.

    I never got into Stargate Atlantis, sorry.

    [*] or production power, which may be more appropriate.
    [**] Writer's energy, that is.
    [***] Professionally employed TV writer, that is.