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Copper allows creating a movement of electrons, which is what you usually call electricity. Any kind of light, while it allows transferring a signal, does need
by kesor 9y ago
Copper allows creating a movement of electrons, which is what you usually call electricity. Any kind of light, while it allows transferring a signal, does need to have the signal transformed from electricity to light on one end, and from light to electricity on the other.
Replacing a very long cable with a fiber that allows transferring the same signal using light is a way to save on copper. But in appliances themselves, having signals transformed to and from light is too expensive. So you won't find lots of light fibers inside of appliances.
- jeffreyrogers 9y agoI think the person you're replying to meant having the computing be done optically (switching by some optical rather than transistor means), so in theory if you could do that you wouldn't need any copper except to provide power to your optical computer. I doubt we'll ever get to the point where optical computing is more cost effective than what we currently have though.
- gazarsgo 9y agoSilicon photonics is changing this dynamic some, right?