Intuitive feel
This is an introduction to the character of robotic work in the nanocosm.
It should deliver some intuitive feeling of how things work down there.
Contents
Atoms
- How big is an atom?
"Atoms are unimaginably small." that is very a common belief. And whenever some comparison is brought up one usually feels confirmed on hat assumption. But it turns out that there is a "best way" to get an intuitive feel for their size that is rarely used (or never until here for the first time??). Here are the details: "Magnification theme-park". – Judge for yourself whether this "atoms are unimaginably small" belief is false misbelief after all.
- How does it feel when you grab two atoms and rub them against each other?
Main article: "The feel of atoms" - How do atoms work and what shape do they have?
Main article: "The basics of atoms" - At which speeds do Atoms usually move?
Main article: "The speed of atoms"
Speeds
- At which speeds do Atoms usually move?
Main article: "The speed of atoms" - At which speeds will nanorobotics usually operate?
Main article: "The speed of nanorobotics"
Everything is "Magnetic"
Well, not really, but this is a real good analogy for getting an intuitive feeling for a novel force only encountered at the nanoscale where it is omnipresent. The Van der Waals force (VdW). Instead of everything is "magnetic" one could say everything is "vanderwaalic".
From a phenomenological perspective (not from the origins of course, those are very different) the VdW force is like a strange kind of magnetism that:
- too drops off very quickly with distance / is short range (more short range even than magnetism - to verify)
- has no polarity
- is always attractive
The VdW force is extremely useful for putting and holding stuff together at the nanoscale (and maybe microscale). Connection method#Van der Waals locking
Bonding energies - Tensile strengths - Stiffnesses
To get a better feel it can be helpful to compare energy strength and stiffness of VdW bonds to the strength of material that is solidly covalently "welded" together. This way it becomes clear that while VdW bonds are considered weak in comparison to they are still very strong in an intuitive sense.
(TODO: Add the same info table as on VdW force page)
[Todo: Add table - make it visualizable for covalent bonds and VdW bonds]
[Todo: show surface area thats VdW ashesion is energetically equivalent to one covalent bond - related: Form locking]
You are like an astronaut – don't ever let go of your tools – they may haunt you
- What happens when you let go of a building block?
Main article: "The heat-overpowers-gravity size-scale"
Let's consider an somewhat unusual fall experiment. A small gripper let go of a building block. Simple? See if you answer right.
Scaling laws
They describe what changes when one goes down the scale. E.g. that magnetic motors become weak but electrostatic ones strong. More details can be found at the scaling laws main page.
The prospective feel of gem-gum products
Gem-gum products though machine like robotic in the nanocosm are not necessarily cold hard and robot like to the human senses (See: Soft-core macrorobots with hard-core nanomachinery). Emulated elasticity can create any form imaginable with gradients from soft to hard. It isn't an easy to attain property but it is an highly desirable one and will emerge at some point.
Related
Provide means for an intuitive understanding seems to be a good didactic approach for a wide target audience.
In the book "Radical Abundance"
In the book Radical Abundance the introduction tries to convey an intuitive feel for how things behave down at the nanoscale. (wiki-TODO: give a more precise reference)
Richard Feynman
There are great recordings of the famous physicist and teacher Richard Feynmen about the importance:
- of an intuitive understanding of things and
- of looking at things from new perspectives.
Misc
- Distorted visualisation methods for convergent assembly
- Why nanomechanics is barely mechanical quantummechanics
- The unsupported rotating ring speed limit
- jumping building blocks
- Scaling laws
- Periodic table of elements
External links
- Video Playlist: The Shape of Atoms and Bonds (By "Learn Hub")
