IBM Measures Force Required To Move Atoms

Tjeerd writes "IBM scientists, in collaboration with the University of Regensburg in Germany, are the first ever to measure the force it takes to move individual atoms on a surface. This fundamental measurement provides important information for designing future atomic-scale devices: computer chips, miniaturized storage devices, and more." I've attached a video if you are interested.

Re:On a surface?

[boarder8925]

Wouldn't that surface be made of, ummmm, atoms?

I doubt yo have or will RTFA or WTFV, so I'll answer: The surface in the experiment was crystalline [ibm.com] .

Re:Heisenberg will be rolling in his grave...

[smaddox]

The diameter of an atom is on the order of 1 Angstrom (0.1 nm).

Planks constant is on the order of 10^-34 J*s.

Basically, the uncertainty is dominated by the size of the atom.