A dot that could revolutionize computing. A dot the size of an atom. To get an idea of the size of an atom, think of a living cell. Most cells are 100 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Cells are about a micron in diameter, or a millionth of a meter.
Atoms are a thousand times smaller in width than a micron.
In other words, atoms are a billionth of a meter in size. Since nano means a billionth, things built out of atoms are measured in nanometers. McEuen looks at his atomic dot with a scanning tunneling microscope. It focuses on individual atoms immersed in liquefied gases at temperatures that are a mere fraction of a degree above absolute zero. That is, at minus 273 degrees on the Celsius scale, a temperature, in fact, much colder than the farthest reaches of interstellar space.