December 1998
Volume 4, Number 4

Features

Predicting and preventing machine failures
Large multi-component machines that print out their own potential system faults and failures will reduce manufacturing, maintenance, and repair costs. New developments–in sensors, failure analysis, system predictive modeling, data fusion, and automated reasoning algorithms–are making it all possible – Kimberly Becker, Carl Byington, Nancy Forbes, and William Nickerson

Combinatorial materials synthesis
Materials scientists are applying the principles of combinatorial chemistry to accelerate the discovery of new inorganic compounds by synthesizing and screening thousands of different materials simultaneously – Jennifer Ouellette

News

Combating the millennium bug
Although the difficulties of eliminating this problem are daunting, considerable help is available from the U.S. government, associations and vendors – David Pope

Halbach arrays enter the maglev race
Researchers have developed a simple, fail-safe magnetic levitation system that may have advantages over systems existing systems in Germany and Japan – David Pope

Superconductor power applications
Superconducting cable, with its lower resistance, offers the promise of delivering more power than copper or aluminum wires. Other electrical power devices incorporating components made of superconducting materials are in the wings – Jennifer Ouellette

Briefs - David Pope
Lensless lithography for making microstructures Update

Departments

Letters

Technology
Remodeling the internal combustion engine – D.C. Haworth and S.H.El Tahry

Forum
A centennial salute to APS – James H. Kaufman

Applying the fundamentals of physics – Patrick Young

New Products