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Surge In Computer Technology: Research associated with defense and Security also has contributed; the goal of detecting remote nuclear explosions has required the development of new seismic techniques, techniques that are equally applicable to study of the earth's interior, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
Combined with the recent surge in computer technology and the development of lasers, the availability of these satellite and seismic data has led to a far more comprehensive view of the earth, its atmosphere, and its oceans.
Demands for even more sophisticated computer systems for use in business as well as in space and missile programs, however, soon surpassed the technology made available by the transistor. Not only was the computer becoming prohibitively large and costly but overall reliability was decreasing with the increase in the number of its elements. The millions of components making up the computer had to be handled individually and connected by soldering or welding. More specifically, heating and bending, possible corrosion of the joining material, and expansion differences at a joint when heated reduced reliability by increasing the chance for damage.
Potential applications of the computer made possible by microelectronics include a small computer in every home or a pocket computer terminal that can be connected to a powerful central computer via the telephone. Such devices may be used to solve our numerical problems (e.g., income tax, or our bank balance) or as a creative tool to relate our knowledge and experiences to our future actions. |
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