IBM and LLNL Scientists Show How Stuff Breaks 15
Maxim writes: "An unprecedented billion-atom calculation has enabled a team of IBM and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists to demonstrate a major advance in using supercomputers to simulate the strength of materials.
Check out the video."
Re:[OT] Huh? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Potential applications (Score:3, Interesting)
Imagine the cost savings when full physics experiments can be carried out with computers!
Yes, in many cases.
But I think generally it's over-hyped.
In the good old days, before computers were available for these kinds of calculations, scientists had to scrimp and scratch their way using classical tools of mathematical analysis.
These days, everyone runs to the computer before they have the problem properly defined.
Not to belittle this accomplishment. I think it's still possible to milk a great deal of insight from computational simulations. It's just that most of the time what's milked is a glossy viewgraph to get the next phase of funding...
Re:Potential applications (Score:3, Interesting)
Reality check calculation:
Alvogadro's constant:6x10^23
My body:80kg
Average grams per mol in my body: 16.5 (assuming 75% water, 25% carbon)
mol in my body:80kg/16.5g ~= 5000
Atoms in my body:5000*6x10^23 = 3x10^27
Atoms in the computer simulation:1x10^9
Difference in orders of magnitude:18
Years till simulation:92 (assuming doubling of processing power every 18 months.
Yup, I'd say holodeck's are just around the corner.