fat electrons

2 definitions found

fat electrons - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  fat electrons
  
     <electronics, humour> Old-time hacker David Cargill's theory
     on the cause of computer glitches.  Your typical electricity
     company draws its line current out of the big generators with
     a pair of coil taps located near the top of the dynamo.  When
     the normal tap brushes get dirty, they take them off line to
     clean them up, and use special auxiliary taps on the *bottom*
     of the coil.  Now, this is a problem, because when they do
     that they get not ordinary or "thin" electrons, but the fat
     sloppy electrons that are heavier and so settle to the bottom
     of the generator.  These flow down ordinary wires just fine,
     but when they have to turn a sharp corner (as in an
     integrated-circuit via), they're apt to get stuck.  This is
     what causes computer glitches.
  
     [Obviously, fat electrons must gain mass by bogon absorption
     - ESR]
  
     Compare bogon, magic smoke.
  
     [Jargon File]
  
     (1996-12-08)
  

fat electrons - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  fat electrons
   n.
  
     Old-time hacker David Cargill's theory on the causation of computer
     glitches. Your typical electric utility draws its line current out of
     the big generators with a pair of coil taps located near the top of
     the dynamo. When the normal tap brushes get dirty, they take them off
     line to clean them up, and use special auxiliary taps on the bottom
  of
     the coil. Now, this is a problem, because when they do that they get
     not ordinary or `thin' electrons, but the fat'n'sloppy electrons that
     are heavier and so settle to the bottom of the generator. These flow
     down ordinary wires just fine, but when they have to turn a sharp
     corner (as in an integrated-circuit via), they're apt to get stuck.
     This is what causes computer glitches. [Fascinating. Obviously, fat
     electrons must gain mass by bogon absorption --ESR] Compare
  bogon,
     magic smoke.