Scientists Produce Graphene 100 Times Cheaper Than Ever Before (gizmag.com)

Zothecula writes that researchers at the University of Glasgow have found a way to produce large sheets of graphene 100 times more cheaply than previous methods. Gizmag reports: "Since first being synthesized by Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov at the University of Manchester in 2004, there has been an extensive effort to exploit the extraordinary properties of graphene. However the cost of graphene in comparison to more traditional electronic materials has meant that its uptake in electronic manufacturing has been slow. Now researchers at the University of Glasgow have discovered a way to create large sheets of graphene using the same type of cheap copper used to manufacture lithium-ion batteries."

Comments

Horrible English Makes for Bad Math

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate it when people misuse language to describe math.

What does "100 times more cheaply" mean?

Re:Horrible English Makes for Bad Math

[ShanghaiBill]

What does "100 times more cheaply" mean?

Everyone fluent in English knows exactly what it means. English is a natural language, not an expression of formal logic. Stop being a pedantic Aspie.

Re:Horrible English Makes for Bad Math

[wonkey_monkey]

You know what it means. I know what it means. Everyone knows what it means.

If you insist on a rigorous mathematical definition, it's very simple. "Cheapness" is simply the inverse of "costliness." So if something is 100 times cheaper, it's 100 times less costly. If something originally cost $100, it now costs $1. Capiche?

Re:Horrible English Makes for Bad Math

[Lotharus]

I'm inclined to agree with you in part: Both period and frequency are absolute measures and can be used reciprocally. However, "short" and "slow" are comparative, not absolute ("slow" does not mean "time over distance"). "Short" by itself is meaningless. If Bob is "half as short" as Ann, is Bob taller or shorter than Ann? Is Bob half Ann's height? Twice Ann's height? 150% of Ann's height? Without any additional information, it's up to the hearer's interpretation of what "half" of a comparative measure means, and all three absolute conclusions could be considered correct.

It's the same with "young," the misuse of which is gaining popularity when stating age (and really grates on my senses). "I'm 25 years young." No, you aren't. You're 25 years old. "Years old" (the two words together) are an absolute measure of the duration of someone/thing's life. "Years young" just doesn't mean anything at all.

To conclude, you can't have something "100 times less expensive" unless you know what "less expensive" means. If Solution B is a penny less expensive than Solution A, you can say Solution C is 100 times less expensive than A compared to B, and that would mean Solution C is $1 less expensive than A. But without a common reference, it's meaningless. 100 times what?

END RANT

Re:More Accurate Summary

[ShanghaiBill]

Note: I have no idea why researchers at the University of Glasgow price their materials in dollars.

Because copper, like any other internationally traded commodity, is priced in dollars. Also, people almost anywhere in the world know what their local currency is worth in dollars, so they can do the conversion in their head. Far fewer are familiar with pounds. So if you are writing an article for an international audience, you use dollars.

One dimensional tube?

[Asha2004]

From the article : "As a two-dimensional crystal of carbon atoms, graphene is a basic building block of many carbon derivatives such as zero dimensional fullerene, one dimensional carbon nanotubes, and three dimensional graphite. "

How can a tube be one dimensional?

Re:One dimensional tube?

[Anonymous Coward]

It is more of an analogy. All of these are built up in 3D but fullerene is called 0D as it is confined in all 3 dimensions; nanotubes are confined in 2D leading to a "1D material" and graphene is confined in a single dimension leading to a "2D material".

Re:"cheap copper"

[monkeyxpress]

I know this is off topic, but the reason metal prices plunged is because regulators finally told the investment banks/hedge funds to stop creating bubbles in the commodity markets. Read up about the Goldman Sachs aluminium racket. Basically they just bought up all the market makers in the aluminium industry so that they could artificially control the marginal price of aluminium. It is really quite sickening. Another hedge fund manager did the same with the global coffee market, buying up a huge portion of a year's crop and then holding it back from the market to artificially raise prices.