21 Jan
2004
21 Jan
'04
3:33 p.m.
I then kept pouring the water back and forth between
each other: a
FlipFlop!
Some time ago I went to a lecture on soap films, where the lecturer did
various demonstrations with such films contrained between plastic plates,
with metal pins anchoring the ends of the films. The film always forms a
local minimum of area IIRC.
Anyway, one configuration of pins had 2 stable forms of the soap film,
and could be switched from one to the other by gently blowing on it. I
pointed ou that this was essentially a flip-flop and could be used as a
memory device. I then said 'Well, I've heard of bubble memory, but this
is ridiculous' <groan>
-tony