Teeny Ted from Turnip Town
Encyclopedia
Teeny Ted from Turnip Town (2007) is a book produced in the Nano
Imaging Laboratory at Simon Fraser University
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
, and as of April 2007 was claimed by its creators to be the smallest published book
in the world.
The book's size is 0.07 mm x 0.10 mm. The letters are carved into 30 microtablets on a polished piece of single crystalline silicon
, using a focused-gallium
-ion
beam with a minimum diameter of 7 nanometers. This was compared to the head of a pin
at 2 mm across.
The story was written by Malcolm Douglas Chaplin and is "a fable about Teeny Ted’s victory in the turnip
contest at the annual county fair
."
The book will be published in a limited edition of 100 copies by the laboratory, and will require a scanning electron microscope
to read the text.
of the King James Bible (5 mm x 5 mm, produced by MIT in 2001) and Anton Chekhov's
Chameleon (0.9 mm x 0.9 mm, Palkovic, 2002) as the smallest books.
Nano
Nano- is a prefix meaning a billionth. Used primarily in the metric system, this prefix denotes a factor of 10−9 or . It is frequently encountered in science and electronics for prefixing units of time and length, such as 30 nanoseconds , 100 nanometres or in the case of electrical capacitance,...
Imaging Laboratory at Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and as of April 2007 was claimed by its creators to be the smallest published book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
in the world.
The book's size is 0.07 mm x 0.10 mm. The letters are carved into 30 microtablets on a polished piece of single crystalline silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
, using a focused-gallium
Gallium
Gallium is a chemical element that has the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Elemental gallium does not occur in nature, but as the gallium salt in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores. A soft silvery metallic poor metal, elemental gallium is a brittle solid at low temperatures. As it liquefies...
-ion
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
beam with a minimum diameter of 7 nanometers. This was compared to the head of a pin
Pin
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.Pin may also refer to:* Award pin, a small piece of metal or plastic with a pin attached given as an award for some achievement...
at 2 mm across.
The story was written by Malcolm Douglas Chaplin and is "a fable about Teeny Ted’s victory in the turnip
Turnip
The turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock...
contest at the annual county fair
County Fair
"County Fair" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was originally released as the second track on their 1962 album Surfin' Safari. On November 26th of that year, it was released as the B-side to The Beach Boys' third single, "Ten Little...
."
The book will be published in a limited edition of 100 copies by the laboratory, and will require a scanning electron microscope
Scanning electron microscope
A scanning electron microscope is a type of electron microscope that images a sample by scanning it with a high-energy beam of electrons in a raster scan pattern...
to read the text.
- Author: Malcolm Douglas Chaplin
- Publisher: Robert ChaplinRobert ChaplinRobert Chaplin is a Canadian artist and publisher, currently based in Vancouver. His practice includes carving gem stones, making sculptures, drawing pictures, writing stories, and publishing books....
- ISBN 978-1-894897-17-4.
- Production assistants: Li Yang and Karen KavanaghKaren KavanaghKaren L. Kavanagh, Ph.D., is a professor of physics at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, where she heads , a research lab working on semiconductor nanoscience....
(SFU scientists)
Record status
At the time of publication, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
of the King James Bible (5 mm x 5 mm, produced by MIT in 2001) and Anton Chekhov's
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
Chameleon (0.9 mm x 0.9 mm, Palkovic, 2002) as the smallest books.
See also
- NanotechnologyNanotechnologyNanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
- Limited edition booksLimited edition booksA limited edition book is a description of a book which is released in a limited print run quantity, usually much smaller than publishing industry standards, and connotes a level of scarcity or exclusivity...
- List of nanotechnology applications