Split Second Sorties

NANO-SECOND: an extremely small unit of time, that is a billionth of a second.

- By KIRAN KARNIK

It is not as small as Planck time, the theoretically shortest measurable unit (named after the eminent physicist Max Planck). Yet, impatient, innovative Indians are daily trying to challenge this theoretical limit.

The speed with which news (true or fake) or an interesting reel is forwarded from phone to phone represents a daily attempt to breach Planck’s limit. In the physical world, while cars drive at F-1 speeds on city roads, helpless pedestrians dash between speeding cars in a sprint that might put Usain Bolt to shame, reaching near-photonic speeds.

SUCH A TEARING HURRY