Re: OT: Question from a Physics Ignoramus

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:51:13 +0200, Gumrat <Gumrat@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Despite the generous, useful help and advice of Umrats, the geography
exam was decreed absolutely impossible (Even *Alexandre* (Class Swot)
thought it was really difficult ;-( Teacher is known to set university
entrance questions for 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 year olds, so no real
surprise there then). There were no questions on Latitude, Longitufe,
nor the International Date Line, but at least she knows it now.

Onwards and upwards to Physics, as In Umra We Trust - we've just found a
French on-line true or false questionnaire and dorter is surprised to
find that the answer to "Certain metals are isolators" is "False", as
is "An electric current will circulate if the interruptor is on". I
don't purport to understand the questions, but dorter does, and is
confused. Could any physics-rat kindly explain, please (quite quickly,
too, the exam's tomorrow!).

Thanks in advance.

There is no *formal* definition of a metallic element, except in the
form of a list of those elements considered to be metals, but what
they have in common is that their electrons are delocalised, which
means that they conduct electricity.

To put it more simply, metals cannot be insulators because being a
conductor is a major part of the definition of a metal.

The second question is also a matter of definition. A switch is
generally described as "on" when it is set to allow electricity to
flow, but that is simply a matter of convention. If you describe the
switch as an "interrupteur", perhaps it is considered correct to
describe it as "on" when it is interrompant?

I think that these end up as linguistic issues, rather than physics.
--
Stephen

Into my heart an air that kills From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills, What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went And cannot come again.
.

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