Jayathirtha, Yasmin
(2016)
Material interactions.
I Wonder (2).
pp. 33-42.
Abstract
I
nteractions between four fundamental forces
are known to describe the physical universe.
Of these, physicists attribute interactions
between atoms to the action of electromagnetic
forces. Chemists, on the other hand, think of these
same electron–nucleus interactions in terms of
many other forces, depending on the strength
and arrangement of the bonds they form. Thus, in
chemistry, it is the combination of these subtler
forces that shapes the properties of materials.
These interactive forces allows us to understand
why there are so many different kinds materials, all
with different properties, and undergoing so many
reactions, that allow all life, including us, to eat,
grow and reproduce. They enable chemists to not
only explain why a diamond is one of the hardest
substances on Earth, but also to make other
materials that are equally hard.
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