Thursday, January 29, 2009

What's Impossible in Your Classroom?

So, the Did You Know? factoid of the day from this story:
No one is galaxy-hopping, or even beaming people around, but for the first time, information has been teleported between two separate atoms across a distance of a meter � about a yard.

. . . "Our system has the potential to form the basis for a large-scale 'quantum repeater' that can network quantum memories over vast distances," Monroe said. "Moreover, our methods can be used in conjunction with quantum bit operations to create a key component needed for quantum computation."

. . . What distinguishes this outcome as teleportation, rather than any other form of communication, is that no information pertaining to the original memory actually passes between ion A and ion B. Instead, the information disappears when ion A is measured and reappears when the microwave pulse is applied to ion B.
A major step forward toward quantum computing, which powers some of the "living in exponential times" theme. And real, live teleportation of information from one object to another over a distance of about a meter. What's next, a biracial President of the United States?

So, if all these "impossible" things are happening in our world today, not to mention the impossible things that can happen if we perfect quantum computing and teleportation, what's impossible in your classroom?

Maybe, just maybe, you can find a way to do the impossible. Shouldn't you start trying?

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