In university, I was taught that there are three basic passive electrical components: resistors, inductors, and capacitors. I later learned that the current, charge, voltage, and flux mathematically relate to these fundamental elements of electrical circuits. Voltage is the change of flux with respect to time, and current is the change of charge with respect to time. Ohm’s Law is where the current is proportional to the voltage of a circuit with a given resistance. Voltage is proportional to charge with a given capacitance. Finally, current is proportional to flux with a given inductance. For me and other electrical engineers, this begged the question, “Isn’t there a need for a fourth electrical component to exist? This fourth component, which was not taught in my undergraduate studies, was hypothesized in the late 20th century and then developed physically in 2005. It is fairly modern in terms of physics and classical sciences and is dubbed the memristor. – the fourth fundamental element of circuit design.
(links: Memristor | Nanoelectronics, Nanotechnology & Memory Storage | Britannica)
So, what’s so special about this component? By definition, it is able to relate flux and charge proportionally, which is huge. Remember the definitions of voltage and current related to flux and charge, respectively? They were both time-dependent definitions of voltage and current. This device changes its resistance as voltage and current change but stores this value of resistance when the circuit turns off, effectively simulating memory. In the current age of AI and developments in quantum computing, this is a huge boon toward advancing our knowledge for the creation of greater and more powerful innovations in technology.
Furthermore, researchers are already utilizing this technology to help improve neural networks that simulate synapses in the human brain. (links: Synaptic devices based neuromorphic computing applications in artificial intelligence—ScienceDirect) As a humble undergraduate in electrical engineering, it’s always important to keep researching to stay afloat in the rapidly changing field of electronics. As an electrical engineer, I always keep my eye on this “new” component in scientific papers and view the results of such studies with curiosity.