Theoretical question

[joe-90]

At a quantum level atoms never touch - so it's really not a serious question is it?

No its a theoretical question

...and theoretical physics tells us that atoms never touch.

 

[Steve]

At a quantum level atoms never touch - so it's really not a serious question is it?

No its a theoretical question

...and theoretical physics tells us that atoms never touch.

No. thats a fact since atoms have a ring of negative electrons in various combinations of energy levels, they never touch each other unless an atomic reaction is taking place.

 

[ricicle]

Ok

 

[breezer]

why not put a ball on a piece of glass and look from underneath

 

[joe-90]

why not put a ball on a piece of glass and look from underneath

You kinky devil.

 

[ricicle]

why not put a ball on a piece of glass and look from underneath

 

[2scoops0406]

At a quantum level atoms never touch - so it's really not a serious question is it?

No its a theoretical question

...and theoretical physics tells us that atoms never touch.

No. thats a fact since atoms have a ring of negative electrons in various combinations of energy levels, they never touch each other unless an atomic reaction is taking place.

They're not in "rings" beyond the s level obitals, p, d and f level electron orbitals are not spherical.

But anyhow, that is not answering the question, which makes no mention of material substances, but is merely a mathematical suposition, the answer is still zero.

 

[breezer]

no its not, what part of not do you not understand.
its sitting on the surface, its not floating above it

 

[2scoops0406]

At the risk of being boring Ok, so what percentage of the surface area is in contact?

 

[Steve]

As I said before, the only mathematical solution I can come up with is "tending to zero", because the contact area is so small, it is considered zero for the sake of mathematical equations.

And tending to zero is a mathematical term. It is generally used in describing expotential curves on graphs, where the line on the graph gets increasingly close to zero, but never actually touches it. Same goes for expotential growth graphs which tend to infinity. GCSE stuff, this.

 

[breezer]

0.1%

 

[2scoops0406]

As I said before, the only mathematical solution I can come up with is "tending to zero", because the contact area is so small, it is considered zero for the sake of mathematical equations.

And tending to zero is a mathematical term. It is generally used in describing expotential curves on graphs, where the line on the graph gets increasingly close to zero, but never actually touches it. Same goes for expotential growth graphs which tend to infinity. GCSE stuff, this.

More to do with differentiation / Integration really.

 

[Onetap]

If a perfect sphere is sat on a perfect flat, what is the contact area

Euclid's Geometry. It will have a point contact, where a point is theoretical entity that is infinitessimally small, therefore no area.

Similarly a theoretical line has no width, a plane has no thickness, etc.

In the real world, the sphere's weight will deform both contacting surfaces until there is an area in contact; they are then no longer an ideal sphere or plane.

 

[2scoops0406]

Euclid's Geometry. It will have a point contact, where a point is theoretical entity that is infinitessimally small, therefore no area.

i.e Zero.

 

[Steve]

If a perfect sphere is sat on a perfect flat, what is the contact area

Euclid's Geometry. It will have a point contact, where a point is theoretical entity that is infinitessimally small, therefore no area.

Similarly a theoretical line has no width, a plane has no thickness, etc.

In the real world, the sphere's weight will deform both contacting surfaces until there is an area in contact; they are then no longer an ideal sphere or plane.

ahhh, a sensible answer! though I just drew a theoretical line and its thickness was 1mm. only joking!!

I remember being intrigued at school, by the fact that integration and differentiation could be used in geometrical and statistical problems too! Isn't maths wonderful?