Only Six Passive Circuit Elements Are Existent

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that only six types of passive circuit elements exist in nature, showing that higher-order passive memory elements are impossible, thus simplifying the periodic table of circuit elements.

Contribution

It proves that higher-order passive memory circuit elements do not exist, reducing the periodic table to only six fundamental passive elements.

Findings

Higher-order memristors degenerate into negative resistors

The periodic table of passive elements is limited to six elements

No higher-order passive memory elements are found in nature

Abstract

We found that a second-order ideal memristor degenerates into a negative nonlinear resistor. This phenomenon is quite similar to what are observed in chemistry: a chemical element with a higher atomic number is unstable and may decay radioactively into another chemical element with a lower atomic number. After extending the above local activity (verified both graphically and analytically) to other higher-order circuit elements, we concluded that all higher-order passive memory circuit elements do not exist in nature and that the periodic table of the two-terminal passive circuit elements can be dramatically reduced to a six-pointed star comprising only six passive elements. Such a bounded table may mark the end of the hunt for missing higher-order passive circuit elements predicted nearly 40 years ago.