Technology: Taking a Fluid Approach

One of the most familiar techniques for teaching elementary electricity is to compare the flow of electrons through wires to the passage of fluids through pipes. The analogy is so valid that scientists are now changing it from a textbook explanation to practical application. They are building fluid circuits that supplement and even replace some electronic devices. By controlling and amplifying the flow of fluids (either gases or liquids), just as electron flow is controlled and amplified in electronic circuits, they have conjured up a variety of odd new fluidic devices that...

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