A Boy and His Atom
| A Boy and His Atom | |
|---|---|
Release date |
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Running time | 1 minute |
| Language | English |
A Boy and His Atom is a 2013 short film known for holding the Guinness World Record for smallest movie ever created.
Description
In A Boy and His Atom, a boy "befriends" an atom (really a carbon monoxide molecule consisting of two atoms).[1] He dances for the atom, then bounces it around like a ball. The boy then uses a trampoline. The graphics and sound effects resemble those of early video games. "This movie is a fun way to share the atomic-scale world," said project leader Andreas Heinrich. "The reason we made this was not to convey a scientific message directly, but to engage with students, to prompt them to ask questions."[2]
Creation
A Boy and His Atom was created by a team of IBM scientists using a scanning tunneling microscope. Carbon monoxide molecules were manipulated into place with a cooper needle at a distance of 1 nanometer.[2] Once placed they remain still because the molecules form a bond with the machine's cooper plating and because of the extreme temperature (5°K / -268°C / -450°F) at which the device operates.[3] The oxygen component of each molecule shows up as a dot when photographed by the scanning tunneling microscope, allowing the creation of images composed of many such dots.[2]
The team created 242 still images using stop-motion techniques and 65 carbon monoxide molecules. The images were combined to make a minute-long film.[1] Each frame measures 45 by 25 nanometers.[2] It took four researchers two weeks of 18-hour days to produce the film.[3]
In addition, the IBM researchers created three stills to promote Star Trek Into Darkness. The images consist of the Federation logo, the Starship Enterprise, and a Vulcan salute.[1]
Reaction
Guinness World Records certified the creation as "Smallest Stop-Motion Film" ever made.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Jason Mick (May 1, 2013). "IBM Makes World's Smallest Movie Using Deadly Carbon Monoxide". Daily Tech. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "IBM makes movie about a little boy _ a very little boy _ by pushing molecules around". Washington Post. Associated Press. May 1, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
- ^ a b Jason Palmer (May 1, 2013). "Atoms star in world's smallest movie". BBC. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
External links
- A Boy and His Atom at Youtube
- IBM's article on the movie
