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2
votes
4answers
732 views
Are quantum mechanics calculations useful for engineering?
I heard it's is pretty tough to get results for more than a few quantum particles. Are quantum mechanical calculations useful at all for any technology that is being sold?
Or do they use ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Are there any existing technologies which use 2D images to extract 3D data? [closed]
I had an idea to use 2D images to extract data about wind velocity from raindrops. (Determining Wind Velocity from Images of Raindrops) which inspires me to ask this question.
I understand that there ...
2
votes
1answer
121 views
What are the statuses of Silicene and Graphene for real world circuit production?
A lot of hype is out there about both of them (especially the latter) and I was wondering if there is more concrete information about them other than the news IBM posted on a circuit 2 years ago and ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
What are the potential technological advances that the discovery of the Higgs boson may unlock? [duplicate]
Lately I have been reading a lot about the discovery of the Higgs boson and it got me thinking, what is the potential application of this particle? I mean can the Higgs Boson change our world the way ...
4
votes
0answers
221 views
Does a byte of data weigh anything? [duplicate]
I've always wondered, does data weigh anything? Or is it just a rearrangement of matter?
Example: I have two 4TB drives that weight exactly the same. I then write 4TB of data to one of them.
Will ...
3
votes
3answers
202 views
How do aerospace engineers choose a landing system? (Curiosity rover)
The Sojourner rover with the Mars Pathfinder used a entry, descent, and landing system involving airbags to land on Mars.
The Spirit and Opportunity rovers each used more-or-less the same system ...
8
votes
2answers
130 views
Why and how will we be able to image extraterrestrial planets in the next two decades?
According to a recently published article, a well-established Cambridge astrophysicist stated that:
the “origin of life, where it exists, and whether aliens exist,
is going to be crucial over ...
2
votes
4answers
834 views
Will a CFL light bulb and an incandescent light bulb produce exactly the same amount of overall temperature increase over time?
Will a CFL light bulb and an incandescent light bulb, in separate respective closed systems, produce exactly the same amount of overall temperature increase over time?
Assume you have two identical ...
2
votes
0answers
98 views
Problems in the modern semiconductor/electronics technology?
From what I have read, the problem with modern semiconductors/electronics seems to be quantum tunnelling and heat. The root of these problems is the size of the devices. The electrons are leaking out, ...
2
votes
2answers
498 views
Space Elevator on Mars with Today's Technology Possible?
I know it's not possible with Earth today, but With today's level of material science technology, would it be possible to make cable strong and light enough to make a space elevator system connecting ...
13
votes
6answers
2k views
Are human eyes the best possible camera?
I am not a physiologist, but whatever little I know about human eyes always makes me wonder by its details of optical subtleties. A question always comes to mind. Are human eyes the best possible ...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
More efficient far-future means of keeping the earth alive? [closed]
In about 7 Billion years our planed will be consumed by the ever-growing sun, life would have become extinct long before that. That means that in several hundred thousand years we have a deadline to ...
2
votes
0answers
189 views
good and reasonably cheap way of connecting glass and metal in a vacuum setup [closed]
Sorry for this very technical question, but we suffer from this problem at work and I do not know any other place to ask.
Its about a good and cheap way of connecting a glass tube with a metal tube ...
5
votes
1answer
307 views
What type of solar energy technology has the most future potential?
In terms of dollars per watt, using theoretical efficiency limits, what technology holds the most promise to become the primary solar energy capture technology?
My hunch is carbon-based modules, ...
1
vote
1answer
192 views
Changing the capacitance of an object to trigger a capacitive touchscreen [closed]
I'm trying to trigger a human touch in a capacitive touchscreen without the 'human' part. I've noticed that the negative pole of a battery triggers it if you are currently holding it. Or if you use ...
