Why can't inverters maker infinite energy?

[rasen58]

If a digital inverter (like the 7404 chip) can turn a 0 into a 1, why can't that be used to make infinite energy?

Why can't you just have it always outputting a digital high?

 

Also, how is it possible for something to create energy like that?

[Endy0816]

This should help:

 

 

Short answer is that you need a power supply for your Inverter or Not gate.

 

If you want to pull up a diagram for that chip you'll see V_cc at Pin 14.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Endy0816

[rasen58]

Wow. I totally forgot about the VCC. That was stupid of me.

Thank you.

[Sensei]

rasen58, think what really happens there at quantum scale.

 

When electron passes through conductor (that's not superconductor), it's hitting nucleus of material and slowing down.

And material is heated. This effect can be even used to cook water for tea or coffee in heating element.

 

Any conductor, any wire, especially resistor, behaves like that. At small voltages, small current, they don't heat to level detectable by human hand.

But try to connect plain wire to battery 5 V + and - and keep it in hand, it'll pass current approximately 2.4 A, and in second heat to level you won't be able to keep it in hand.

 

Once electron gave its energy to material, it's lost energy (f.e. it can't be used anymore to produce photons by light bulb).

And it's issue in large electronic facilities, like computer server room, either because of money and heat that has to be get rid of (otherwise danger of fire).

Edited April 2, 2014 by Sensei

[Endy0816]

I have to admit it took me a bit to figure them out at first too. It took thinking about them as ((Not A) And B) Gates before they really made sense, with B standing in for the presence of a power supply.

 

A B Out

0 1 1

1 1 0

0 0 0

1 0 0

 

and yeah, it does have a major impact on power consumption/heating. The limits of Diode logic gates can be interesting to look at in relation to this.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Endy0816

[Schneibster]

Don't feel bad, I remember the time three of us designed an encryption scheme that would reduce anything to one bit.

 

It was for "write only memory."

 

8D

Edited April 6, 2014 by Schneibster