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Catagorizing new matter/energy phemenon as a state of matter just confuses the understanding. If the particle is simultaneously exhibiting qualities of liquid
by maeon3 14y ago
Catagorizing new matter/energy phemenon as a state of matter just confuses the understanding. If the particle is simultaneously exhibiting qualities of liquid and a solid, it means a shift in thinking is required.
Iron is solid, but that doesn't mean we should group it with other things that are hard. The other hard object might be hard for a completely different quantum mechanical reason.
- jerf 14y agoThe problem is there's a conflation here. "States of matter" which are solid/liquid/gas and "states of matter" which are quantum spin liquids are not the same thing. One is an English term, and one is a more precise physic/chemistry term. In English, there is just "ice", the "solid" form of water. In physics/chemistry, there are 15 known phases of ice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice#Phases http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice#Phases Don't try to understand one in terms of the other. And your "shift in thinking" has loooong since occurred. It just isn't useful to conventional English, so it has not picked it up.
- 4ad 14y agoWhat constitutes a state of matter is very well defined, and in my opinion the Wikipedia article linked above explains it very well to a non-technical audience. The shift in thinking has happened more than 130 years ago, it was well established around 1870. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_mechanics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_mechanics
- Daniel_Newby 14y ago> Iron is solid, ... Its nuclei and inner electrons are solid. Its valence electrons are a gas, allowing it to conduct electricity. Different parts of the material can be in different states.