Chapter 2 still in elementary school

I am really ashamed to say that I have studied for so many years, and my knowledge of many subjects is still at the elementary school level, although I did learn a lot when I was studying at Shanghai Juemin Primary School in the 1930s. When I was in the second grade of elementary school, I refused to believe that anything invisible to the naked eye could exist.Wait until Mr. proves the existence of air to us before believing it.She made a hole in a milk can, but the milk couldn't flow out. After making a second hole, the milk flowed out, which proved that the air entered through one hole and forced the milk to come out of the other hole.I just had to trust her.

At that time, adults, especially mothers, paid great attention to "hygiene" and loved to talk about "micro-bacteria", saying that terrible "infectious diseases" were transmitted from micro-bacteria in the air to others, so when sneezing or coughing Cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief.When there are guests at home, we use "hygienic chopsticks" to pick up small dishes for others or put them in our own bowls. As I grew up, I had to accept many things that were invisible to the naked eye.For electric lights, telephones, and radios, I feel no less amazing than Zhou's mother who came from the countryside to wash our clothes for us.Lights come on when you turn them on, voices come from far away when you turn on the radio, and you talk to invisible people when you dial the phone.I know the names of Edison, Marconi and others.

Today, the development of science enables people to explore the mysteries of the universe and investigate the subtleties of nanometer technology.Some time ago, I saw a piece of news in a Taipei newspaper: According to a research report jointly conducted by Professor Li Jiawei of the Department of Life Sciences of Tsinghua University and Professor Chen Junyuan of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, they collected sponges about 580 million years ago in Guizhou, mainland China. Fossils of multicellular animals, such as multicellular animal fossils, have pushed back the origin of animals by 50 million years, and may also overturn the theory that animals originated from the "Cambrian Explosion".

For me, the problem with this message is the word "billion".How much is 100 million?It is ten million.When I was in elementary school, I learned that the Chinese had 400 million compatriots. At that time, no one taught the word "billion".Later (about fifty years later) I became wiser and associated "hundred million" with "tens of millions".I was late in waking up to this because I don't need to use "billion" things in my life.When I was in elementary school, I learned to do arithmetic, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, which I will use throughout my life.I will not be cheated when I go to the supermarket to pay for groceries. I can even calculate the percentage of a certain amount, which is enough for daily life.Recently I cheated and bought a calculator. Don't look at this cheap little thing, it's amazing!Another piece of news said: The Industrial Technology Research Institute of the Ministry of Economic Affairs will establish a "nanotechnology research and development center" on the 16th to develop nanotechnology and strive for global market opportunities of more than one trillion US dollars in the future.Get rid of the word "mega" first!One trillion equals one trillion.This is what I learned from a dictionary.

All right.How big is a "nanometer"?A billionth of a meter!The newspaper said: "Nano" is one-billionth of a meter. It is often said that the semiconductor manufacturing process reaches 0.13 microns, but a nanometer is only one-thousandth of a micron, which is only about one or two molecules long. With the current micron technology If the processed memory is processed with nanotechnology, the capacity will be expanded by one million times, and the entire library of Congress can be stored in a memory the size of a sugar cube. It is said that according to the plan of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, nanotechnology will become the core field of the manufacturing industry in the next stage, because the current Industrial Technology Research Institute has research in various technologies such as materials, chemistry, electronic motors, optoelectronics, machinery, etc., and has connections with various industries In the future, it will focus on the four major fields of nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, nanomachines, and nanobiotechnology, and strive to become one of the world leaders in the industrialization of nanotechnology within five years.

Well, I'm done.Sure I can't see a nanometer with my naked eye.I don't understand the number that the opponent can't count, but I have to believe it.I admire the research results of scientists and mathematicians, but I still only have a vague understanding of the theories they invented and created.I have a body, five senses, intelligence, and emotions, and I am already too busy. How can I manage the big things hundreds of millions of years ago, and the small things of a billionth of a meter?