Steps just one atom high can steer tiny whirlpools inside special materials
FutureFrom: ScienceDaily · rewritten for kids by Osmo
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Superconductors are special materials that carry electricity without losing any energy, but only when they are very cold. Inside them, tiny swirls called vortices can move around. Scientists in Japan found that steps just one atom high act like railway tracks for these swirls. The swirls moved more than 1,000 times more easily along the steps than across them. One day this could help build electronics that use much less energy.
Big word
superconductor: A material that, when very cold, lets electricity flow through it without losing any energy.
Quiz time: circle the right answer
1. What did the one-atom-high steps act like?ARailway tracksBWallsCMirrors
2. What can superconductors do when they are very cold?ACarry electricity without losing energyBMake lightCFreeze water instantly
3. How much more easily did the swirls move along the steps?AMore than 1,000 timesB2 timesC10 times
Your turn
Draw a railway track and a little whirlpool riding along it. Write one thing you would build if electricity never got wasted.
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