Most bloggers, geeks, techies, etc., are aware of Moore's Law:
Moore's law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware: the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years.
So makers of computer chips can see devices become smaller and more powerful at the same time. I haven't seen a Diary written about yesterday's news, so I am writing one.
Chip makers have been more recently saying that there is a limit to Moore's Law, and that chips can't get smaller, no matter what we make them out of - due to energy, heat, and resistance restraints. But, that, apparently isn't going to stop Moore's Law.
See why below the Fleur de Kos -
So, why is Moore's Law still valid - and smaller?
Let me first say that an idea called Quantum Mechanics (a theory) was brought up a few years ago as a possible solution to increasing the number of transistors on a chip (power), while continuing to make smaller chips. Then, more recently some other scientists called out Quantum Mechanics, and found flaws with it. Another theory called "String Theory" is now the most up to date idea about how the universe works (which, by the way, demands that there are 11 dimensions, and has four explanations that all simultaneously seem to be correct). Click the link to learn more about that.
Well, another theory, but this one used by chip makers, was that Quantum Mechanics prevents chips from getting as small as the Atomic level. They were wrong.
Well, as Nature.com (International weekly journal of science) just reported yesterday, researchers have found that "wire" that is actually only a few nanometers wide (a nanometer is one meter divided by one billion) conduct electricity in exactly the same fashion that the larger components I am using to type this Diary into the blog do.
Why is this news? Well, Quantum Mechanics theory basically said it wouldn't work, for various reasons, at the Atomic level (see the Quantum Mechanics link in the first part of the Diary for more info there). But, it does work. So, Moore's Law can continue on its merry way for the time being.
Just for an example to show you just how small a nanometer is, picture a human ribosome (only viewable with an extremely powerful microscope). A ribosome is about 20 nanometers wide. Or, a Helium atom, is about 0.1 nanometers wide.
This opens up incredible possibilities.