Beyond Zero and One (Andrew Smart) / quote 65 of 171
The Logical ½ behind computer glitches
function represented by the sloping line in the grey area very steep. Nevertheless, in practice the line between one and zero is actually rather fuzzy. This situation recurs on every circuit, which means that at any point in the computer’s processors, a Logical ½ signal can be read out. This is not such a big deal in everyday computers because we can simply turn the machine off and on again, like IT departments ask us to when our computers crash. This temporarily removes all the voltage in the computer’s processors. And there are many error-correcting codes that can fix corrupted bits in memory that might have had some Logical ½s hidden in them. But we can’t just turn the complex computer systems on the Space Shuttle or in the stock market off and on again when they crash. Computers, just like brains, are filled with thermal noise because they dissipate so much energy. Have you ever wondered why your computer crashes? Or why automated stock market trading algorithms suddenly go berserk? Have you ever wondered what a computer glitch really is?