Re: [Patents] The Importance of Potential (continued)

[Carsten Svaneborg <zqex@mpipks-dresden.mpg.de>]

On Monday 29 March 2004 17:34, Jonas Maebe wrote:
> As Hartmut said, the forces of nature are quite well defined in the
> scientific literature. There are only 4 known forces of nature at this
> time

This is true, and as a physist I will agree. But you have a lot of
explaining to do if you want to convince a politician or some legal
person, which is why it's a bad argument from a rethorical POV.

It's easiere to argue that a technical teaching is applied natural
science. Natural science being sciences where knowledge is
created by empirical experiments on natur, rather than by deduction.


Here's some examples where I have tried to relate the elecromagnetic
force to some daily experiences, beware the the leaps of faith:

The elastic properties of a rubber band is due to entropic forces,
which are generated by when thermal fluctuations of polymers
are restricted, when the rubber is stretched. The restriction of
fluctuations is due to short ranged van der Wals interactions
between monomers, which again is a very complicated force that
is caused by quantum mechanical correlations between location
of charges in different molecules.

Electrodynamics => non-crossability => smaller fluctuations =>
lower entropy => higher free energy => an entropic force opposing stretching.


Detergent is ampliphilic molecules, e.g. they have a water-loving head,
and a water-hating tail (e.g. an alkane). Alkanes have no dipole
moment, which causes them to disrupt the local organisation of
water molecules, which increases the surface energy. (which is why
oil and water dosn't mix)

Ampliphilic molecules are glued together chemically, so they can't
separate. The result is that alkanes attach to the surface of fatty
particles, to reduce their water surface, while the water head points
into the water face. This in turn reduces the surface energy of the
fatty particles, and makes them soluable in water.
(Otherwise one would need volatile organic solvents to wash dishes!)

Electrodynamics => polar-apolar interactions => microphase separation
=> reduction of surface energy => change of soluability properties


Milk is a colloid suspension of fatty particles (lipids) with proteins
(cassein) on their surface, playing the role of the detergent. They have
the added benefit that two fatty particles can't aggregate, because that
would reduce the configurational fluctuations of the proteins.
So they act like fenders, fending off other particles. In this way the size
distribution of fatty particles is stable, and the milk can easily be
digested, which after all is the purpose of milk.

Proteins are polymers made by 20 amino acids with various chemical
properties. Heating milk+adding acid breaks down the polymer
conformations, in which case the fatty particles can aggregate. This is
how chese is made. (typically adding a protein Rennin that digests the
Cassin proteins to make the process faster).

E.g. Rubber + detergent chemical physics => cheese


Anybody knows how to wash dishes, or stretch a rubber band, or maybe
how to make chese. However, relating such daily experiences to the
4 fundamental forces as outlined above is complicated. And possibly
not even very credible. ;*)

-- 
  Mvh. Carsten Svaneborg