Infrared light is emitted from all objects, even if they are dark, allowing a much more accurate calculation of their size and therefore their age.

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And there are geographic adjustments to account for the fact that it costs more to live in Manhattan than in Syracuse (for example) and more accurate adjustments for family size.

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In this day and age, when Britain sometimes struggles to justify its status as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council or as a "major player on the world stage", the medal table may prove to be a more accurate measure of international standing than the size, for example, of the GDP or the armed forces.

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The problem is that photolithography and etching are not perfectly accurate, so not all the resulting transistors are the same size.

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