1. What do Bees know about Cell phones?
2. How does a Microchip stop a Light-storm?
3. Did you know that Electronics is made out of sand?
4. Did you know that the Oscillator is the building block for watches?
5. The world smallest battery occupies only 5 cubic millimeters.
6. The most important source of power during the Industrial Revolution was the Steam Engine.
7. Water can be used as a cutting tool to cut through metals and other materials.
8. Flowing (or falling) water is used to build Hydropower plants.
9. Depletion of the Ozone layer is caused by the release of CFCs by man into the stratosphere.
10. Microturbines are replacing electrical power.
1. Being as revolutionary as they are, cell phones don't necessarily employ new and original concepts.
The cellular concept involves an essentially regular array of transmitter-receiver stations called cell sites.
"Cells" are arranged to cover the entire geographic area served by the system ( basics of cell-phones).
After many detailed studies, the hexagon shape was chosen for the shape of the "cell" since it showed to
lead to the most cost-efficient and easily managed system. This is nothing else than the beehive pattern
so familiar to bees as they make honey. See Home Sweet Home for some basic facts about bees.
In any case, whereas this is new or "old" technology, cell phones keep showing their impact on society as
given by a recent article on The Wall Street Journal.
2. The effect of lighting on electronic equipment and on humankind can be devastating. To inform people about lightning the NASA has put out a special research program.
On the other hand technology has already achieved to protect electronic equipment against the destructiveness of lightning. A lightning stroke lasts an average of 30 microseconds and has an average power of 1012 Watts
peak power. Now with Transient Voltage Suppressor Devices within an IC, protection against this weather phenomena can be achieved.
3. The raw material for Electronic Devices, Silicon, can be found in sand. (From sand to Silicon)
There is such a vast availability of sand on Earth that the Electronics world has enough of a supply.
To convert sand to silicon wafers the process involves several steps.
4. The Electronic Oscillator has its origins in resonance, a physical phenomenon which can be explained
by looking at "Standing Waves". Inductor-Capacitor Circuits which include Inductors and Capacitors in
series or in parallel to one another (L-C circuits) give rise to resonant circuits and hence to oscillator circuits.
Quartz watches work on an oscillator quartz crystal (which is basically an L-C circuit) and they represent
an important advance in technology and an important application of electronics.
5. Fuel cells, which have undergone much experimental work for the lasts years, are part of a new
source of energy. There is different kinds of fuel cells, but probably one of the most impressive applications uses these cells as batteries to power sensors. Well how big do the full cells have to be for such an application? Only 5 cubic millimeters!
6. The invention of the Steam Engine by James Watt during the Industrial Revolution signified a major contribution to the development of the Capitalist System. The inner workings of a Steam Engine were used not only for the purpose of the industry, but also for other applications such as locomotives or ships.
7. Water is used as a high-tech tool in industry for cutting through metals and other materials. The term is called water jet technology and is already in use mainly in the United States and Japan. The precision and accuracy that some water jet tools can achieve is certainly making this technology more popular.
8. As a river flows through different kinds of geographies its water level is higher at one point and lower at another. This natural occurrence is used in generating electricity from Hydroelectric power plants.
This way of power generation is environmentally sound since it relies safely on the hydrologic cycle ,
a renewable and completely natural process. A generator or motor is used to transform the kinetic energy of water into electrical energy.
9. Ozone depletion in the stratosphere can cause severe problems for living organisms on earth.
The nature of the reaction of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) with O3 is to destroy the ozone layer leading
to the creation of Ozone holes. Learn about the actions you can take to help protect the environment.
10. Microturbines are a new source of power and can produce up to 500kW of power. Microturbine
generators have been developed from turbocharger technologies and have a very low pollution effect
on the environment. Some of the applications of Microturbines cover power generation in hospitals
and as backup generators.
