carat or karat?

[AntonioLao]

Quantity or quality that is the question, carat as unit of weight for precious gem stones like diamonds is equivalent to 200 milligrams while the word karat is used to measure the purity of gold, perfection - 24 karats. However, as the hardest substance found on planet Earth, a single crystal weighing over a kilogram does not exist, naturally or artificially. For some, this is a mystery, although its structure is understandably described by http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/diamonds/hardness.html and http://www.e6.com/e6/page.jsp?pageid=600408520 and http://library.thinkquest.org/5008/AllAboutDiamonds.htm. On the other hand, the purity or perfect quality of gold is 24 karats and impurities of gold seem to increase its hardness. On the Mohs scale, the hardness of diamond is 10, gold is 2.5. Although the hardness of diamond is four times that of gold, its density is over five times less (density of diamond is 3.52 g/cc, gold is 19.3 g/cc) while its melting point is almost three times higher (diamond 3820 K, gold 1337 K). Gold is a very good electrical conductor while diamond does not conduct electricity at all. These seem to indicate that compactness and hardness are independent properties of matter. Compactness is based on the closeness of atoms while hardness has to do with the structural connections between them.

[harmonygirl]

Antonio, not sure where you're going...

[AntonioLao]

not sure where you're going...

The independence of compactness and hardness or connectedness. These could give plausible explanations for the concept of fluidity and solidity of matter. For example: water, its fluidity is closeness of its molecules hence its incompressibility, but these are loosely connected in the liquid state. When mostly connected in the solid state, water became hardness of ice and expanded occupying a larger volume creating empty spaces between the subatomic particles.

[harmonygirl]

Oh, okay. I remember reading something about this in my research in alchemy. I will try to find and post about it later.

[AntonioLao]

I will try to find and post about it later.

While waiting for your reply, I'm extending the concept of compactness and connectedness to human relationships, say between husband and wife or between friends, or between coworkers, or between citizens of a country. Stability comes not by closeness or proximity but from interconnected of minds and understanding. The cellphones do not make anyone closer to others but what constructive exchange of information sent and received make the relationship closer forming a stronger bond among them.

[harmonygirl]

Okay, I have found the article. So the Prima Materia that the alchemists believed made the material world was earth, water, fire and air (unity of nature). Each of these had 2 of 4 qualities: fluidity, dryness, heat and cold. So:
hot + dry = fire
hot + fluid (moist) = air
cold + fluid = water
cold + dry = earth
Thus, they believed that transmutation or transformation was possible by way of the quality they had in common (ie fire to air through heat, air to water through fluidity). They also believed that 2 elements could become a 3rd by removing one quality from each (eg dry and cold removed from fire and water can become air).
The article goes on to make a correlation between the elements and psychological states and problems, similarly I think to your extension to relationships (apparently Jung studied alchemy!)
I think the basic assumption is that everything is made of the same thing, so transforming something into anything else should be (in theory) possible.

[AntonioLao]

I think the basic assumption is that everything is made of the same thing, so transforming something into anything else should be (in theory) possible.

Thanks. If the alchemists have inserted mathematics into their studies, these could certainty become a bona fide physical theory worthy of a Nobel Prize. The same thing that everything is made, I have suspected for a long time might be the squares of energy at the infinitesimal domain of space-time.

[mkirkpatrick]

In the eyes of the alchemist we are the dross lead, awaiting the transmutation into gold
via the process of igniting the internal fires,and burning away the dross.?



regards michael.

[theunify]

In the eyes of the alchemist we are the dross lead, awaiting the transmutation into gold
via the process of igniting the internal fires,and burning away the dross.?



regards michael.

By a large degree the amount of heat produced by the world is a contributor to global warming, if we are awaiting for the hottest period, then are we to dred the cold following?

[AntonioLao]

By a large degree the amount of heat produced by the world is a contributor to global warming

The accumulated expired heat of living creatures is nothing compared to the trapped heat from the sun by excess carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere.