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NewToThis
- 29
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What would happen to an atom or molecule if you put it in a vice and tightened the vice as tight as possible?
NewToThis said:What would happen to an atom or molecule if you put it in a vice and tightened the vice as tight as possible?
I think the question was more about the title of the thread and not the specifics in the question. I'm pretty sure the OP wants to know if it is possible to squash an atom.ZapperZ said:Now, you ARE aware, aren't you, that the "vice" itself consists of "atoms and molecules"? Think about this a bit more and see if you still want to ask this question.
Zz.
Isaac0427 said:I think the question was more about the title of the thread and not the specifics in the question. I'm pretty sure the OP wants to know if it is possible to squash an atom.
Isaac0427 said:Again, I'm pretty sure the OP is asking "if you take an atom and exert an extremely large force compressing it, what will happen as the magnitude of the force increases?" Whether you agree with this interpretation of the question or not, you should answer it. The OP definitely wants an answer, not an argument about what he/she means. I'd answer that question myself but I do not know the answer.
If that's the question, Bhobba and cwatters answered it in #3 and #4 of this thread.Isaac0427 said:Again, I'm pretty sure the OP is asking "if you take an atom and exert an extremely large force compressing it, what will happen as the magnitude of the force increases?" Whether you agree with this interpretation of the question or not, you should answer it.
No.houlahound said:Aren't experiments at CERN squashing atoms until they break?
Isaac0427 said:Again, I'm pretty sure the OP is asking "if you take an atom and exert an extremely large force compressing it, what will happen as the magnitude of the force increases?" Whether you agree with this interpretation of the question or not, you should answer it. The OP definitely wants an answer, not an argument about what he/she means. I'd answer that question myself but I do not know the answer.
houlahound said:You missed a whole deleted debate on what your question meant.
NewToThis said:Yes, I was really asking if it is possible to squash an atom, to break it up using pressure.
houlahound said:I will create a new thread on it.
So do you understand the answers you have been given ?NewToThis said:Thanks. As long as it's worth discussing.
ZapperZ said:Pressure using WHAT?
It seems that you may not have had the message that has been floating around this thread. Let me try this one more time before I give up on this thread.
When I apply pressure on, say, your hand, I'm pushing onto it using something, maybe my own hand. This is fine because we are all macroscopic, and everything can be easily described by our usual, classical world.
But you wanted something else, which is "squashing an atom". When you go into this territory, the RULES OF THE GAME become very different. You don't simply use your hand to squash or apply pressure on an atom! It is why I asked you in my very first post of this thread on whether you forget that the "vise" that is doing the squashing is ALSO composed of atoms, etc., a question which you never bothered to respond to.
As Khashishi has stated, your question is not obvious at all, because it is full of ambiguous situations. And the fact that you still haven't realized this means that you are missing one of the most important things that you can learn from this forum. The nature of the question that we asked is often as important as the answer that we seek. This forum often forces you to sit back and asks yourself "What exactly am I asking here?" "What do I mean EXACTLY when I use this word"?
You are not the first to encounter this. If you stay here long enough, you'll see a question that gets asked here periodically, which is "What is "touching"?" At the atomic/quantum mechanical level, to be able to answer if anything is touching anything else, one has to FIRST define what one means by "touch". If not, then you may have something mind, while *I* have another definition in mind. It leads to an ambiguous question and answer. This is why I asked you way in the beginning on what you mean by "squashing" and what exactly are you using to do this squashing. Without a clear explanation, you will not get a clear answer.
Zz.
davenn said:So do you understand the answers you have been given ?
NewToThis said:Sorry, I did see your response but didn't get round to responding, but it did make me realize why it was a bit of a silly question.
NewToThis said:I thought atoms were different sizes.
NewToThis said:But what if it was a molecule of several atoms? could the pressure force it to break up?
Atoms cannot be physically squashed in the traditional sense because they are the smallest unit of matter and cannot be broken down any further. However, they can be compressed or rearranged through various methods.
Yes, it is possible to split an atom by squashing it through a process called nuclear fission. This is when the nucleus of an atom is split into smaller nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy.
When an atom is squashed, its electrons and nucleus may be compressed closer together, resulting in a change in its physical and chemical properties. In some cases, it may also undergo nuclear reactions.
No, an atom cannot be squashed to the point of disappearing because its nucleus and electrons will always remain, even if they are compressed or rearranged. However, the atom may cease to exist in its original form and transform into a different element.
Attempting to squash an atom can be extremely dangerous, especially if it involves nuclear fission. This process releases a large amount of energy and can result in harmful radiation. It should only be done under controlled conditions by trained professionals.