Can anything be reduced down to a single atom?

[Wave's_Hand_Particle]

Can a Liquid, say a litre devided in half and half again etc, be reduced down to a single atom?..or would the process only reduce to a finite measure..say two atoms?

There is a follow up, but for now I want some yes or no answers.

 

[Wave's_Hand_Particle]

Can a Liquid, say a litre devided in half and half again etc, be reduced down to a single atom?..or would the process only reduce to a finite measure..say two atoms?

There is a follow up, but for now I want some yes or no answers.

Can a Liquid, say a litre devided in half and half again etc, be reduced down to a single atom?..or would the process only reduce to a finite measure..say two atoms?

There is a follow up, but for now I want some yes or no answers.

Ok a little to complicated?

I have a flask containing a liquid, I have two other empty flasks, that I empty the liquid into, so I divide liquid into two flasks containing equal 'parts', thus completing STAGE-ONE.

I now take the two flasks of liquids, and pour each into another set of empty flasks, repeating as identical the first stage process, thus completing STAGE-TWO.

I complete all stages until I have arrived to a point wherby I have a vast number of flasks, each with a single molecule of liquid.

1) This is 'SEPARATION' rather than reductionism.

I now want to progress to REDUCE a single molecule into its base components, if I choose any of the separate molecules, this will not have any different effect of my ability to reduce and record data.

2) What phase are I going to?.. LIQUID to a GAS or LIQUID to SOLID?..and is there a correlated function that is fixed by a law, for any further reduction?..what is the bog-standard process needed for breaking/separating a single molecule into fundamental ATOMIC components?..without adding or taking away any component needed for a precise measurement to be attained.

Now all seems pretty basic, but I want to clarify the processes of Separation as opposed to Reductionism, where is the line drawn? specifically do I allways need to smash TWO atoms from the process of separation for a further examination, if so then the process of Separation attains a limit fir any process that involves Singular Measurements?

Example:
3) A photon is sent into a beam 'splitter' is this process Separation or Reductionism?

4)Is there a limit for PHASE transformations?..can there be some directions one cannot obvious interject..ie from Solids to Liquid to Gas's in a way that Entropy does not allow to occur?

5) Are single Protons/Neutrons classes as Solids , Liquids or Gas phase components

6)Is Entropy, Phase dependent?

7)Is Relativity Phase reliant?

8)Is Quantum Mechanics reductionism or separation?

9)Do beam splitters induce inter-phase correlations?..can an entangled photon be sent into two different Phase enviroments a Solid and Liquid?

10)Is Quark Confinement related/consequence, to the phase of matter?

11)Is the wave-function of the Universe correlated to Quark Confinement?

 

[Wave's_Hand_Particle]

Basic Question, How does one Isolate one self from a system, and STILL, receive information? what are the paramiters needed, are they contained by QM or GR.

This is sort of a trick question, and its relevence is contained within another thread ;)

 

[ZapperZ]

I will be tacky and point out that I have addressed this issue of "reductionism" several times. This includes a rather tedious essay in my journal addressing the idea of reductionism and the possible fallacy of "The Theory of Everything". There are a few very important references there, especially the one pertaining to why phenomenon such as superconductivity cannot be looked at the way you are exactly doing here.

Zz.

 

[Wave's_Hand_Particle]

Thanks, a link to your journal, or maybe on PF?.. I presume this is so, and will read your take on this.

Cool, I read some of your journal, I take it the 20th-9 part is very relevant.

I will enjoy a further reading of your journal in its entirety, thanks for actually taking the time to put your opinions,(precise knowledge) for everyones benefit.

 

[Wave's_Hand_Particle]

Two interesting recent papers :

http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0410408

and:

http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0410425

 

[Wave's_Hand_Particle]

Thanks, a link to your journal, or maybe on PF?.. I presume this is so, and will read your take on this.

Cool, I read some of your journal, I take it the 20th-9 part is very relevant.

I will enjoy a further reading of your journal in its entirety, thanks for actually taking the time to put your opinions,(precise knowledge) for everyones benefit.

Is the probability of me separating the #First# amount in stage one, equivalent, equal in probability as in the final stage?..put another way is the chance of me seperating a TWO part molocule into TWO flasks viable?..can a Single Atom be In Isolation!