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**Asher** · February 10, 2003, 04:37

Quantum computing would be cool too. My circuit design prof did 1 bonus lecture on it, but I'd like to know more...

**Propaganda** · February 10, 2003, 04:42

Maybe a central mind control system run by Communists? I can only hope.

**Richard Bruns** · February 10, 2003, 05:24

Re: Future/near Future technologies

If you are interested in science news, I recommend going to newscientist.com to read about what is happening. sciencedaily.com is also good. For your specific points, a net search will give you better information than we can.

**Urban Ranger** · February 10, 2003, 05:26

Re: Future/near Future technologies

Originally posted by NeOmega
*Why Plasma is considered a fourth element

Not a forth element but the forth state of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plama, etc.)

Originally posted by NeOmega
*neutrinos, and if they are in any way controllable, capturable, detectable.

Certainly they have been detected.

Originally posted by NeOmega
*Fission vs Fusion..... and cold fusion

Fission is the splitting of very heavy atoms into smaller ones and releasing energy according to the Einsteinian equation E=mc². Fusion is the merging of very light atoms into heavier ones, releasing energy in the process. Fusion is considered better because it is clean (no nasty radioactive wastes) and has a greater output. It also helps that hydrogen is everywhere and there is no need to go through the hoops just to purify it.

Cold fusion is considered bunk by many.

Originally posted by NeOmega
*What "doped" means in chemistry terms

Adding impurities. Very useful for semiconductors.

**Combat Ingrid** · February 10, 2003, 06:23

Re: Future/near Future technologies

Originally posted by NeOmega
*The process behind making false gems (ie simulated rubies and emeralds) Speculation is allowed on this one, since as far as I know it is an industry secret

I don't know about rubies etc, but I know you can make diamonds by using high explosives

You take a tube with graphite powder and put some high explosive compound at each end of the tube. When you detonate it, the high pressure combined with the high temperature squeezes together the carbon atoms to form the tougher diamond configuration. I suppose you can also give them various colors by adding small amounts of impurities, I have no idea what they might be, though.

**NeOmega** · February 10, 2003, 06:55

Re: Re: Future/near Future technologies

Originally posted by Richard Bruns
If you are interested in science news, I recommend going to newscientist.com to read about what is happening. sciencedaily.com is also good. For your specific points, a net search will give you better information than we can.

thanks I'll check tem out tomorrow... must sleep, need for sleep beating thirst for knowledge.......

**monolith94** · February 10, 2003, 07:50

plasma is super-heated gas - if I understand correctly, a state of matter that has both qualities of air and liquid...
And it's really, really, really hot.
There are five states of matter, by the way. Urban Ranger forgot about absolute zero matter - when it's so cold that the atoms have stopped vibrating altogether.

**Urban Ranger** · February 10, 2003, 07:57

There are many states for matter and more are being discovered. For example, neutron star matter is considered a state, even though it is a degenerate state where the matter is composed entirely of neutrons. Then there is the Bose-Einstein condensate, which is even more exotic.

Plasma is indeed super-heated gas - gas that has been heated to such a state that all atoms become ions.

**el freako** · February 10, 2003, 08:02

Am I correct in thinking that Bose-Einstein Condensate is 'officially' considered the Fifth state of matter?

**Urban Ranger** · February 10, 2003, 08:25

Not fifth, maybe 8th or something.

**Der PH** · February 10, 2003, 09:08

Re: Future/near Future technologies

Originally posted by NeOmega
*How Americium works in a smoke detector

AFAIR smoke sensors using radioactive materials like Americium consist of the radioactive source emitting particles and a detector (Geiger-Mueller or something like that) for those particles.
If there is smoke between the source and the detector, part of the particles is absorbed and the count rate of the detector decreases.
But I'm not quite sure about this.

Originally posted by NeOmega
*speculation on what dark matter is

Dark matter is any form of matter that doesn't interact with photons and can therefore not be seen by any telescope. Yet dark matter can be detected indirectly by the gravitational force it applies to visible matter like stars and galaxies.

Originally posted by NeOmega
*neutrinos, and if they are in any way controllable, capturable, detectable.

Neutrinos are detectable, but only with a very small likeliness. That's the reason why neutrino-detectors like Super-Kamiokande in Japan are that big: You need a lot of matter in order to compensate for the small likeliness, if you want to see at least some of them.
BTW neutrinos are a very promising candidate for cosmic dark matter.

If you want to know more about neutrinos and dark matter, just tell me! I am very interested in those topics.

**Dauphin** · February 10, 2003, 10:55

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Plasma is indeed super-heated gas - gas that has been heated to such a state that all atoms become ions.

It doesn't need to be superheated. In space physics (e.g helio and geo-magnetism) the 'vacuum' of space is considered a plasma. Its nowhere near superheated.

**Urban Ranger** · February 10, 2003, 23:30

Hey you are recycling your avatars

**KrazyHorse** · February 10, 2003, 23:33

Originally posted by Asher
Quantum computing would be cool too. My circuit design prof did 1 bonus lecture on it, but I'd like to know more...

Quantum computing is a big steaming pile of crap.

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