In 1965, Gordon Moore—who later co-founded Intel—made a prediction about…
2023
In 1965, Gordon Moore—who later co-founded Intel—made a prediction about integrated circuits. In its commonly used modern formulation, what does Moore's Law say?
Answer: B. Computer processing power will double every 18 months to two years. — ConceptMoore's Law is an empirical observation about exponential growth in integrated-circuit complexity, not a physical law that guarantees a fixed result.…
- A.
As technology continues to advance, computer chips will become obsolete.
- B.
Computer processing power will double every 18 months to two years.
- C.
There will eventually be no need for transistors in high-tech electronics.
- D.
As the number of transistors increases, computer processing power will be reduced by half every two years.
Attempted by 12 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
Moore's Law is an empirical observation about exponential growth in integrated-circuit complexity, not a physical law that guarantees a fixed result.
Its common modern shorthand is that transistor density on an integrated circuit doubles roughly every two years, with a minimal rise in cost; this scaling generally enables more computing capability.
Application
The statement about processing power doubling every 18 months to two years expresses that common shorthand most closely among the choices.
Historically, Moore's 1965 paper projected that component counts would double each year for the next decade. In 1975 he revised the forward-looking cadence to about two years, which became the familiar formulation.
Contrast
Chip obsolescence: individual designs can become outdated, but Moore's observation concerns increasing integration density rather than the disappearance of chips.
Doubling capability: this reflects the exponential scaling associated with rising transistor density and is the best match among the offered statements.
No transistors: digital integrated circuits continue to depend on transistor-based switching; scaling concerns packing more transistors, not eliminating them.
Halved processing power: increasing integration has generally supported greater capability, not a scheduled halving of processing power.
Cross-check
Intel describes the modern observation as transistor counts on an integrated circuit doubling about every two years with minimal cost increase, while the Computer History Museum records the 1965 annual projection and the 1975 revision.
Result
Therefore, the statement that computer processing power doubles every 18 months to two years is the best-supported offered answer.