Re: The Choice and Free Will of Atheism


"Dave J." <requiem@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fpmi1v$lo$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In MsgID<47bc9fef_3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> on Wed, 20 Feb 2008
21:47:28 -0000, in uk.philosophy.atheism, 'John Brockbank' wrote:

Of course. I was going to do the usual comment about proof being reserved
for mathematics and logic, but I think that is a bit lazy because I
certainly remember that, for example Avagadoro's Hypothesis is supposed to
have a proof that was explained to us. (Avagadros' hypothesis is, if I
remember it correctly, that all gasses contain the same number of
molecules
per cubic whatever at the same temp and pressure.

To me anyway, that was
counter-intuitive because it seemed to me that some gasses would have
bigger
molecules than others and so the number of molecules would vary.).

Doesn't seem counter intuitive to me.

The ratio of the size of the molecules to the volume of the gas is tiny.
Even if you take the total of the sizes of all the molecules versus the
total volume of the gas sample, the total space 'occupied' (very hazy
definition of occupied but doesn't matter here) by molecules is tiny, and
they are spread out over a relatively enourmous volume.

Therefore the difference made by the varying molecule sizes tends so close
to zero as to have no effect. (There may be a better explanation there
that makes it actually zero, this explanation is just the one my brain
adopted in 'story-fying' the information)

That's the way I visualised it anyhow. Couldn't really say whether it was
'intuitive' or not as the first time I'd thought about Avogadro's
Hypothesis was when I was first exposed to the fact that it's true.

Dave J.

Hmm. All I can say about that is that if it was so blooming obvious we
might never have heard of Avogadro. Even as famous a scientist as Dalton
did not twig the distinction between atoms and molecules. Bearing in mind
that the term 'gasses' can refer to, say, air, which is a mixture of
different gasses including compounds like CO2, methane and water, I'd say
that Avogadro was a pretty bright bloke.


.

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