Bulk Matter


This includes studies of bulk matter in its traditional forms of solid, liquid, gas. Plasma is added as another form of matter.	Sapience Home Site Map About Sapience Science Physics Structure of Matter Solids Liquids Gases

This includes studies of bulk matter in its traditional forms of solid, liquid, gas. Plasma is added as another form of matter.

Plasma

Plasma is like the gas state, except that it is composed of ionized particles and can conduct electricity.

Gases have no fixed volume or shape, but expand or contract until the pressure exerted by the gas equals the pressure on the gas. The ideal gas law is an important concept in physics and serves as a reference state which approximates the behavior of real gases under certain conditions.

Liquids

Liquids have a fixed volume but no fixed shape.

Solids

Solids have a fixed volume and shape. They can be divided roughly into crystalline and noncrystalline solids.


Connections to history, sociology, institutions,culture, anthropology, and personal studies will be developed as the site expands.	Links to other sites: Not yet available
Connections to biology, earth science, and astronomy will also be developed as the base expands. This area overlaps heavily with chemistry. Particular substances, chemical changes, and chemical systems are all studied from both a physical and a chemical point of view. Bulk matter is usually composed of molecules and it makes heavy use of molecular physics. It uses molecular interactions, and depends heavily on molecular structure and chemical bonding. It is ultimately composed of atoms (a special case of molecules). It depends heavily on atomic physics, including atomic electrons and nuclear physics that will be strengthened as these topics are better developed. Bulk matter has connections to subatomic physics, because high-energy subatomic particles traveling through ordinary bulk matter have various effects. The study of bulk matter depends heavily on quantum mechanics. It does not use relativity very heavily. Thermodynamics is a necessary part of this study. The structure of bulk matter is closely tied to statistical mechanics including classical statistical mechanics, and possibly relativistic statistical mechanics and quantum statistical mechanics. Classical thermodynamics including systems, states, and processes are closely connected. Nonclassical properties are also important. Connections to electromagnetism will also be developed as this site expands. Electrostatics is not as useful as properties related to electric current, magnetism, and optics. Bulk matter uses mechanics extensively. Bulk matter is connected somewhat to gravitation including surface gravitation, Particle celestial mechanics, rigid body celestial mechanics, and nonrigid celestial mechanics. In nonrigid mechanics, there is more study of mechanical properties, including deformable bodies, fluids, and acoustics. Rigid body mechanics may also be useful at an introductory level. Body description and motion, rotational dynamics, static systems, and dynamic systems can be examined. Particle mechanics is useful when samples of matter can be treated as particles. Kinematics, kinetics, energetics, and particle systems are then useful. Particle description is useful, especially when liquid or solid particles are much smaller than the system being considered.

Connections to history, sociology, institutions,culture, anthropology, and personal studies will be developed as the site expands.

Links to other sites: Not yet available

Connections to biology, earth science, and astronomy will also be developed as the base expands.

This area overlaps heavily with chemistry. Particular substances, chemical changes, and chemical systems are all studied from both a physical and a chemical point of view.

Bulk matter is usually composed of molecules and it makes heavy use of molecular physics. It uses molecular interactions, and depends heavily on molecular structure and chemical bonding. It is ultimately composed of atoms (a special case of molecules). It depends heavily on atomic physics, including atomic electrons and nuclear physics that will be strengthened as these topics are better developed. Bulk matter has connections to subatomic physics, because high-energy subatomic particles traveling through ordinary bulk matter have various effects.

The study of bulk matter depends heavily on quantum mechanics. It does not use relativity very heavily.

Thermodynamics is a necessary part of this study. The structure of bulk matter is closely tied to statistical mechanics including classical statistical mechanics, and possibly relativistic statistical mechanics and quantum statistical mechanics. Classical thermodynamics including systems, states, and processes are closely connected. Nonclassical properties are also important. Connections to electromagnetism will also be developed as this site expands. Electrostatics is not as useful as properties related to electric current, magnetism, and optics.

Bulk matter uses mechanics extensively. Bulk matter is connected somewhat to gravitation including surface gravitation, Particle celestial mechanics, rigid body celestial mechanics, and nonrigid celestial mechanics. In nonrigid mechanics, there is more study of mechanical properties, including deformable bodies, fluids, and acoustics. Rigid body mechanics may also be useful at an introductory level. Body description and motion, rotational dynamics, static systems, and dynamic systems can be examined. Particle mechanics is useful when samples of matter can be treated as particles. Kinematics, kinetics, energetics, and particle systems are then useful. Particle description is useful, especially when liquid or solid particles are much smaller than the system being considered.