what are the uses of semi and superconductors?
373028
Semiconductors are used all over the place, as others mentioned. \n\nSuperconductors have a number of applications, too, but their need for extreme cooling in order to operate limits their use. \n\nSome currently used applications for superconductors:\n\nSMES systems (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage) used in the power grid and at certain high power raw facilities. \n\nMagnets for MRI systems.  Superconductors make for fantastic electromagnets since the current moves through the coil without resistance\n \nElectromagnets in particle accelerators.  All modern particle accelerator facilities use superconducting magnets.\n\nHTSC SQUIDs.  These are "high T-sub-c Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices" which are a very sensitive sort of electromagnetic sensor based on a Josephson junction device.  These are used by the military, specifically the navy, to sense mines and submarines by the electromagnetic disturbance a large piece of metal makes in seawater. HTSC SQUIDs also have brain sensor applications and may someday result in technology that makes it possible to very accurately observe human brain activity with an easily transportable device.\n\nSuperconducting generators.  Just as superconductors make for excellent electromagnets, they also make great electrical generators.  The use of them is limited, but demand is growing.\n\nUltra high power electric motors.  Although not in widespread use, superconductors can be used to make very powerful electric motors.  The record so far is a 5000 horsepower motor.    \n\nRapid discharge of a SMES has also been used to make an "e-bomb".  This is an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) type weapon that can disable electronics and communication devices.  SMES make a perfect basis for EMP generation because of the huge energy density and rapid discharge.  The first field use of a SMES based e-bomb was in Iraq in 2003.
632924
good conductors are material with very tight atomic structure. Remember you are talking about electron flow here. they flow best and easies through material with very tight atomic make up like lead gold copper aluminum silver so forth. Most good conductors are non ferrous metals. This means If you heat them up to melting point they will not get red hot first, you will see very little color change in them from solid to liquid state.
610625
It depends on what superconductor do you want to make. For example, let me give you a brief idea about making the most common 'High-Tc Superconductor' YBCO:\n\nRecipe for a homemade superconductor \n1.825g or 0.005M  Y(NO3)3.5H2O \n2.614g or 0.010M  Ba(NO3)2 \n3.624g or 0.015M  Cu(NO3)2.3H2O \n\nWeigh out the ingredients and grind together thoroughly in a mortar. Transfer the mixture to an alumina crucible and place in the centre of a tube furnace. Pass a slow flow of oxygen over the mixture and bake at 350°C for 1 hour. Then increase the temperature to 950°C and cook for a further 3 to 4 hours.  \nAllow the furnace to cool somehwhat before removing the crucible with tongs and gloves. Let the crucible cool on a fire-brick before emptying the contents into the mortar. Re-grind thoroughly.  \nThen press two 13mm pellets from the mixture (at 12 tons pressure). Place them in a crucible lined with platinum foil. An unlined crucible won't do since it would contaminate the pellet. Re-heat the crucible in the furnace to 950°C with a slow flow of oxygen. Programme the furnace to cool the sample at 50°C/hour through the tetragonal-orthorhombic phase transition (at 690°C). Ensure an appropriate sign for an overnight reaction is displayed on your furnace and do remember to ask a Senior Demonstrator first! Switch off the tube furnace, allow to cool a little and then remove your sample as before. \n\nJust a note at the end: You can't say Superconductors are 'conductors' with no resistance! In fact, superconductors are materials which essentially show the following two properties:\n1. zero electrical resistance, and\n2. expulsion of magnetic field.
688125
This is a good question.  Many of the electronic devices today use semi-conductor devices that work at low voltages.  However, that has only been the case since the mid-1960's on average.  Prior to this electronic devices used Vacuum Tubes.  These vacuum tubes used very high voltage DC to cause the flow from an cathode to an anode to flow.\n\nUntil the development of the High Voltage semi-conductor or Silicon Diode most electronics circuits used Vacuum Tube Diodes.  These Diodes would allow for current to flow in only one polarity the same as silicon diodes.\n\nAn intermediate high voltage diode between the vacuum tube diode and the silicon diode was the Selenium Diode.  This diode was the first solid state diode; however, they were not very efficient nor were very effective when high currents were required.  However, today selenium diodes are still in use where size is not an issue.  These diodes generally can work with voltages up to about 2000 VAC and currents as high as 100 amps.\n\nGenerally, most high voltage circuits today use silicon diodes with a high Peak Inverse Voltage (PIC).  On average most cost effective Silicon diodes have a PIV of 600 volts DC.  To increase the voltage that diodes can work you can put them in series, or connected one after then other.  This way you can daisy chain several diodes together to achieve a PIV of up to around (3 in a row) or 1800 volts before the capacitance could be a problem.  This same type of diode works at one amp, if you place them in parallel or side by side you can increase the amount of current your bridge can support.  Again I would not recommend using more then 3 semi-conductor or silicon diodes in parallel, or use for rectifying more 3 Amps of voltage.\n\nTo make your Neon Sign DC voltage converter I would recommend using selenium diodes specifically designed for the high voltage you are talking about.  These diodes and semi-conductor diodes are still available from a number of retail suppliers.  If you would like to try a Vacuum Tube diode, similar to the one used in the high voltage section of a Color TV, Ratheon is the only supplier I can recall that still makes vacuum tube diodes.
513117
use a potato and two different metals as electrodes. The link will help you, do your own homework, or web searching atleast! it was the second link in google for g** sake!
149106
Try this web site for some examples:\n\nhttp://www.poleshift.org:16080/sublim/
288186
Carbon and ceramics are good insulators.\n\nGood conductors are copper and gold, to name a few.
425735
Well, your talking about 1966 so you would probably have copper or silver alloys for short distances and steel alloys for long distances.  Not much has changed due to the fact that prices keep things relatively constrained.  Now the amazing part is that because of the speed of modern day computers they have to do transmission line equations inside the chips to reduce reflection problems.  What used to be a problem for long spans of length in transmission lines now exists within a computer chip.  Pretty soon they will have to deal with quantum mechanical problems when wires within a chip become a few atoms wide.
1134647
Proximity switches are often used in industry to detect when something (often a metal object) is near the sensor. They often consist of a small coil with a low current flowing though it. The to the electromagnetic effect of the current through the coild, when a ferrous metal object approaches the coil, the current change can be detected.\n\nThey are often used as interlocks to ensure everything is in the correct position before operation.\n\nFor example, I have seen them used on tankers carrying acid to ensure that the pumps could not start unless all hoses are corrctly connected.
515026
Gene sequences\nQuantum computation\nEvidence of dark matter\nSynthesis of anti matter\nTeletransportation\nTime travel (possible for atoms)\nChaos and its applications\nNanotech\nOrganic electronics\nWait for LHC
835169
molecules are turned into ions....by an electron beam...\nions are separated according to their mass...by a magnet, deflection....\n\nmass spectroscopy can be used to study or analyse mixture of compounds....
73968
I have never used them, but I have heard they have uses in certain kinds of electrical engineering.  I think it involves phase shifts of period functions like sine waves.  Also, there are occasional problems where you start in the real numbers and end in the real numbers, but by doing the problem in the complex domain, certain difficult problems become solvable.  I think Cauchy integrals are used for this purpose.
5800
Certain materials, when cooled to very near absolute zero, experience a transition into a region of zero resistance to current flow. Since the goal of having a superconductor is usually to have a greater capacity to carry current with a smaller cross sectional area, you necessarily experience a greater magnetic field. Any current produces a magnetic field that is related to that current by the Biot-Savart law.
145303
Basically, you just need two different types of metals to generate a current. I assume your using copper as your other metal type.\n\nIf you dont have any zinc wire, you could try using a galvanized (zinc coated) screw.\nOr if you want to use another metal all together, try Aluminum in the form of Aluminum foil.  An Iron nail or a chunk of lead would also work, but not as well.
897223
possible that you may be talking about integrated circuits for electronic organs (musical instruments)? \n\nOtherwise are you interested in organic polymers and semi-conductors use in integrated circuit? \n\nTry some of the above on a search engine.
835611
Inductors are used , usually in combination with capacitors, to filter or shape electrical signals (voltage or current).  The inductor functions by storing electrical energy in its magnetic field.\n\nHere are some examples of the applications of inductors:\n1. The station tuning circuit in most radios\n2. In the "crossover" network in speaker systems (to filter out and send the high frequency content to the "tweeter" speaker)\n\n3. In most modern switching power supplies as an electrical energy storage device.
218874
Your question is a little vague so I'll list a few applications. Aircraft instruments, piston and turbine engines, barometers, steam engines,