Compressing Matter
Most recent answer: 03/09/2012
Q:
Why can't we squeeze our table, if it contains almost empty spaces?
- Bhaskar (age 16)
Patna,India
- Bhaskar (age 16)
Patna,India
A:
The common story about ordinary matter being mostly "empty space' is false. The sizes of atoms and molecules are set by the sizes of the regions in which the wave-function states of their electrons are intense. Those waves fill up the material, Squeezing those waves into smaller regions is hard because that increases their kinetic energies.
The empty-space stories are based on the idea that the electrons are really little dots somewhere, not spread-out waves. That idea is untrue.
Mike W.
The empty-space stories are based on the idea that the electrons are really little dots somewhere, not spread-out waves. That idea is untrue.
Mike W.
(published on 03/09/2012)