Is Our Concept of Matter Merely an Incorrect Perception?

philosophy, Physics
Picture a large polished stainless steel bearing. Now visualize dropping it onto a concrete floor from a height of, say, h. It impacts the concrete and bounces back to a somewhat lesser height h′. What actually was the physics at the time of collision? Our concept of matter provides one answer. Our Concept of Matter The rock-solid steel bearing is not thrown, but “dropped”. It falls with a force equal to its mass times its acceleration due to gravity. That is, F = mg. Upon striking the concrete floor, the bearing experiences an equal yet opposite reaction forcing it to bounce back. Even so, due to internal and external factors, the bearing does not attain its original elevation. Is the Bearing Truly Solid? If the bearing were of solid and…
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Oil and Water Do Not Mix – Why?

Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_8586" align="alignright" width="440"] Oil and water just plain do not mix.[/caption] Oil and water do not mix! Some liquids are miscible; that is, they mix completely. Other liquids do not permanently mix. They are immiscible. The best known example of this is oil and water. “Putting those two together is like mixing oil and water.” This means that for practical purposes, the two don’t get along at all. Why Don’t They Mix? Oil and water don’t mix for a basic physical reason curiously easy to explain by comparison with a magnet. Consider first the formula, and then the structure, of water and we’ll see how this is so. The Formula of Water Water is most commonly written H₂O. Two hydrogen atoms (H) are combined with one oxygen atom (O).…
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Edge Effects for the Universe?

Physics
[caption id="attachment_7377" align="alignright" width="480"] Introducing the universe.[/caption] A strange thought crossed my mind. I was in that twilight state between awareness and sleep. What about the edges of the universe? Does the universe experience edge effects? Materials all have their own properties. Metals, for instance, have a melting point. They have conductivity, density, malleability, and ductility. Liquids, gases, and plasmas have properties as well. A material or an object can act differently at its interior, than at its edge. Consider some objects interacting with electromagnetic radiation. Magnets and Capacitors Capacitors exhibit so called Casimir edge effects. The electrical field between capacitor plates behaves differently at the edges, than between the centers. The same is true of the edges of magnets. Frequency Skin Effect Electrical engineers understand the high frequency skin…
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