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Re: Patriarchy: Re: What Matriarchy?
Stephen Barnard (steve@megafauna.com)
Wed, 07 Aug 1996 18:46:43 -0800
Ashley Branchfeather wrote:
>
> In article <32074B57.336B@megafauna.com>, steve@megafauna.com wrote:
>
> >Quantum-mechanical theory has very little, if anything, to do with the
> >practical design of microchips.
>
> (borrowing Bill's buzzer...)
> BZZZZZZZT! Wrong answer!
>
> And as your punishment, I hereby banish you to a theory of semiconductors
> class, with an integrated circuits class as an option.
>
> --
> Ashley Branchfeather
Been there, done that.
Current integrated semiconductor technology, which employs line widths
of .35 microns, does not see quantum effects. Device characteristics
are very adequately predicted by non-quantum theory, specifically
Maxwell's Equations and the Boltzmann Transport Equation. When line
widths come down to about .1 micron then quantum effects will be
significant.
There has been a lot of research on Josephson-junction diodes, which
exploit quantum tunneling, but this is a so-far unsuccessful offshoot
with no practical applications.
There are also some very interesting proposals for quantum computers,
which could do some amazing things, like solve simultaneously all
instances of a problem by exploiting the superposition principle. This
is far from practical application, to say the least.
This is all quite irrelevant to anthropology (and paganism, I suppose),
but when someone gives me a "BZZZZZZZT! Wrong answer!" I have to
respond, especially when I'm right.
Steve Barnard
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