When you load up your Kindle (or iPad, or smartphone) with data, the transistors in the flash memory use a trapped electron to distinguish between a 0 and a 1 (the poetic language of computers). According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, E=mc² if something has energy, it has mass and weight. A small, undetectable, theoretical amount of mass and weight. We’re talking about an atogram, or 10 to the -18th of a gram. Our bestest scales can only measure 10 to the -9th.
Kubiatowicz went on to say that the weight gained from adding data is only about one hundred millionth as much as the estimated fluctuation from charging and discharging the device’s battery — which is also almost undetectable here. For you ultralight commuters out there, I guess the lesson is that you should always travel with just one ebook and a 5 per cent charged battery on your Kindle. Goodbye, back strain! [NY Times via The Register Hardware]
Stephen Henning
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 6:57 AMSo is this what they mean when they talk about “light reading” and books that are “heavy going”? :-)It all makes sense now!
Mike Johnson
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 9:07 AMWhat about the enerygy being lost through the screen and being converted to heat from the processor by using the battery power.
Iain
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 9:55 AMpop-sci dumbs down real-sci for the newspapers yet again.
The iPad doesn’t get heavier when you/dl an app btw
David
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 12:21 PMI think he has it wrong, as flash is set to FF (all ones) when erased that means when you add data you usually burn it down to less than FF so it gets lighter.
Steve
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 4:06 PMWhen I was a kid, we believed that SNES and N64 cartridges got heavier the more you played them.