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Comment Re:Five dimensional in the same way... (Score 2, Interesting) 239

A byte is a one-dimensional, eighth-order, array of bits.

Of course, bits in this context are discrete units of information only capable of providing one of two values. This method is interesting because the "bits" are capable of providing 5 pieces of unrelated, non-interfering, pieces of data. It's perfectly acceptable to refer to it as an orthogonal, five-dimensional datum, regardless of the lack of separation in space or time, and that they are not at 90 degree angles.

Comment Re:And... (Score 1) 206

No, I just don't take laws in every state before 1972 to mean the federal government.

FTFY

Or does an article about the federal government doing the "same as usual" quantify all state governments underneath it. If you think it does, then you should look into the structure of the US a little more and learn a few things.

I have taken your advice and I've discovered that the United States Supreme Court is a part of the Judicial Branch of the Federal Government!

The federal government has not told people who they can sleep with period.

Unless you work for them, then it's still illegal.

At least not United States of America.

Nope. It could never happen here.

Comment Re:Wrong (Score 1) 249

doctors will prescribe the latest (expensive) drug to a patient when a generic does the job just as well

If the solution even requires a generic... I went in for bronchitis, and I came out with a prescription for a generic antibiotic, and a prescription for Prilosec. When I looked it up later, it turned out to be a medication for heartburn! I also noticed that the logo was the same as the big, purple button on the lapel of the doctor's labcoat. :/

Comment Re:me two. (Score 1) 458

Is lithium still popular as an anti-depressant, or has it fallen out of favor now that the patents have expired?

It used to be the treatment for depression and bipolar disorder, but IIRC, the long-term health effects from regular consumption are devastating. It's still possible to get a prescription, but not with ease.

Comment Re:What are the implications of this discovery? (Score 1) 127

The Hydrogen atom is fairly well explored, and has a nucleic charge of +e, while the electron orbiting it has a charge of -e. As the electron becomes excited, it moves farther away from the nucleus until it is finally ionized.

In more complex atom, such as Rubidium, you have a nucleic charge of +37e, and 37 electrons with a charge of -e surrounding it. When observed from a distance, these add to a net charge of 0, making it neutral.

If you are able to excite the outermost electron of an atom, the electron will move very far away from the nucleus, such that the nucleus and the other electrons are close together compared to the distance between the excited electron and the nucleus. From this outer electron's perspective, the other parts of the atom combine to form a net charge of +e. With a charge of -e orbiting a charge of +e, this atom will behave like a Hydrogen atom. This is a Rydberg atom.

What they have done is make a molecule out of two Rydberg atoms made from Rubidium. This should be similar to two Hydrogen atoms making a H2 molecule. Very excited electron energies are unstable and have very brief lifetimes, so it's unusual that the entire molecule would have lasted for 18us.

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