thank you for quick response,however im still at aloss.how do the atoms in a pencil for example"know"

Question

know that it is part of the eraser and not the metal fastner or the wood or the black ink in the name stamped inthe side?if they are constantly in motion why doesnt the pencil not begin to blur and dissisipate?

Answer 1

. The atoms in the pencil are in motion, but not freely in motion. The atoms are bound up in molecules which make up crystaline or cellular structures. The metal atoms in the eraser holder are part of the metal crystaline matrix. The carbon and other atoms of the eraser are parts of organic molecules which form strands which are interlinked. The carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms of the wood are parts of cellulose molucules which formed the cell wall of the tree from which the wood was taken. The "lead" of the pencil contains carbon molecules in fractured crystals of graphite, which are mixed with clay, which contains silicon, aluminum and oxygen in a crystaline structure.
. If you picture a ping pong ball tethered by a weak rubber band and knocked around by a mild shifting breeze, the ping pong ball would be "free" to move, but the rubber band would keep it moving about the same center. A stronger breeze might have enough energy to break the rubber band and let the ping pong ball be blown wherever the wind goes.
. Atoms are of just the size that puts them on the brink of quantum mechanical uncertainty. They are large enough that the uncertainty about their position is very small, even when their energy is know to a high degree of precision. In quantum mechanics, this means that the amount they will wander is quite small, small enough that they remain bound to their neighbors in their molecular or crystaline arrangements. Adding energy in the form of heat both increases the uncertainty about their position and increases the probability that their bonds will be broken.

Answer 2

Short answer - the weak nuclear force. On an atomic or subatomic level, this force is sufficient to coalesce similar atoms (molecules)together into a particular shape and mass. The distance between most objects (eraser and pencil, two clumps of metal, etc.) is too large for the nuclear weak force to span unless energy (heat) is either added to or subtracted from the substance.The state of molecular excitement" increases as temperature increases - this in turn will determine the "state" of the substance, solid, liquid, gas, or plasma (at a sufficiently high temperature).

Answer 3

That is a very, very good question. Understanding is quite complicated. Think of bonds and molecules and electrons as individual pieces....but not. Look at Hydrogen: one electron, one proton. The electron is held in place by the attraction of the proton. Now, if I take that electron away, I have H+, or just a proton. It is a completely different species. So, what if I put two protons together? You get Helium. The attraction of the two protons will attract two electrons....and so on and so forth. Its all about energy. Molecules are held together by bonds. Bonds can be broken by putting more energy into the molecule than is present to hold the molecule together. When looking at something like a pencil, the eraser is made up of molecules held together by bonds of a certain energy. The overall net effect of the energy from the bonds is zero....er, to say, it causes no attraction. Same in the metal fastener and the pencil itself. Now, take something like what. The electrons in the bonds of water are not distributed evenly, thus they very polar molecules and that is why things (like sugar and salt) will dissolve in water.

Hope that rambling helps....

Answer 4

Hi! :) 1. Penquins or Pandas? Pandas 2.Water or coffee? Water 3. Shampoo or Conditioner? Conditioner 4.elavators or escalators? Escalators 5. lamps or candles? Candles 6. books or magazines? books 7. cantaloupe or watermelon? cantaloupe 8. Twilight or Harry Potter or neither? neither 9. jeans or shorts? Shorts 10. salt or pepper? Salt 11. Brazil or France? France 12.pens or pencil? Pencil

Answer 5

The atoms, of course, know nothing. They stay put because of the interatomic and intermolecular forces present in the materials of the pencil. In order of increasing physical size, but decreasing strength, you have:
- The nuclear forces, which keep the atomic nuclei together.
- Electrostatic forces, which keep the electrons in orbitals around the nucleus.
- Electrovalent and covalent bonding forces, which keep the atoms combined into molecules.
- van der Waals and hydrogen bonds, which keep the molecules together in a substance.

Answer 6

Hi. Dissolve the pencil in acid. The blur will be obvious. I want to know how the eraser 'knows' it's too old to erase any more.

Answer 7

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