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By Stevie Smith Aug 31, 2007, 15:53 GMT
IBM claims double computer technology breakthrough
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Older Talkback
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Cool!
star wars is near baby!
Why do they still have to use a binary system - magnet charged, magnet uncharged. Now, I don't know what else there might be, but it sure takes a lot of zeros and ones just to make even a small amount of human-readable-data. CPUs are getting faster to crunch the binary faster, but isn't there something more efficient?
When are these guys going to put these chips inside our heads?
In theory, if they could set it up to point in any of eight directions, they could have an atom per byte, which would be better for more data.
That being said, attempts have been made with other systems, and the problem is that its much much easier and more economic at this point to continue with binary, because other systems would go into voltage and amps, which isn't a good idea at this point.
As the old saying goes, with base two, we call them bits, at base three we call them trits, and at base four, we call it quits.
As for a single atom per bit, it would be very unstable... a single bumb could loss massive amounts of data... So for now, I'm sticking with good old flash and hard drives...
They still use Binary becouse it it the same idea as is and is no....yes and no....0 and 1....the idea is that it is auniversial language using math as a constant. But I agree, we only learn by tring new stuff...there must be a next step...trinary? 0...1... and 2 LOL.
Trinary? 0..1..2
Scientists have been working with fuzzy logic for some time. It is where the state of storage is somewhere between 0 and 1. For example 0.1 0.2 0.3 etc.
In response to 'Why''s question about binary systems:
Yes there are more efficient systems to store, manipulate, and crunch data than the binary system. We could use a tritary system, or one based on any number (humans use base 10 system as standard, and it is more efficient for us, especially when it comes to storing written numbers.)
There are 2 main problems keeping us from upgrading our technology from the binary system. First most of the methods we have found for storing information (punch cards -> magnetic tape -> magnetic discs -> CD/DVD) use technology that is based producing and detecting 2 different states, and wouldn't facilitate more without an unreasonable amount of overhead.
The second reason is that our electronic technology has been binary since the advent of digital electronics (somewhere between the 1890's and 1950's) all of our current electronic and computing technology, and the general theory, education, and training surrounding it's development is steeped up to the neck in mainly pure binary logic. We have not yet developed any good working, profitably manufacturable technology using more number than 1's and 0's that can come close to what our current standard 1 and 0 technology can do.
There have been quite a few efforts to try to come up with a tritary (using, say 0's 1's and 2's) system, or even more numbers. Few have made any noteable advances in this area. Though, if anyone did, it would be a major breakthrough, for much more efficient storage, transmission, and processing of data; and would grant a gigantic boost to the computer industry. We just haven't found the technology that will let us do it.
Just a note on the differing ways to process data, there is one particular area that shows a remarkable amount of promise for moving us beyond the '1's and 0's'......namely, quantum computing. If we can get the point of controlling, recording, and reading the spin of an electron, even a single electron could represent any of thousands of possible combinations of bits, nibbles or bytes.
Sir !
There is something icolinear about your chips !!!!
i think i'll stick with me usb flash drive and me IDE hard drive!
'The breakthrough, if followed to the proposed conclusion, could eventually lead to consumers carrying around literally tens of thousands of music, movie, and other media files in a device no bigger than a mobile phone.'
I've already got one of those thanks. Surely you mean 'no bigger than a pinhead' at the very least
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