I hear you're somewhere in the sand, and how I wish I was an ocean, baby. Maybe then I'd get to see you again.

Walking up through campus every morning, I feel a strong sense of duality. I am essentially two people - Physical Scientist Mike (PSM) and hang out Mike (HOM). Few people try to communicate with PSM and even fewer try to understand him. I'm not sure if he came before or after HOM. Honoring Brozy's request, I'll try to explain what he sees when he looks around. I apologize in advance.

Go back for a moment the piece of ice. When it’s cold out, it’s a solid. On warm days, it melts into a puddle of water. Put it on the stove, and it’s vapor.

But WHY I ask? "Well, the environmental heat makes it melt and then vaporize." Yes, but why does heat make ice melt? "The radiation is absorbed by the atoms of the water molecules making them vibrate faster." Why do vibrations matter? "Faster vibrations increase the kinetic energy of the molecules. Increased kinetic energy results in stronger repulsions and higher escaping potentials which in turn overcome the intermolecular forces that hold the fluid or solid together."

Now the contradiction, "does all matter prefer the lowest energy state possible?" Yes. "Does a gas have more energy than the same amount in solid form?" Yes. "So why doesn't all matter stay in the low-energy, solid state?" Because, at 200 degrees C, water vapor is at a lower energy than would be the ice. "!!??? confused look."

Most people can envision ice changing back and forth from solid to liquid to gas. But what about a pile of iron? What about sugar? What about a person? Can you vaporize a person and condense him back to a liquid? Of course you can’t, but WHY? (Note he will only burn if you mix him with oxygen, so for the sake of discussion, let's say there is none available).

Two things here. There are pure elemental substances, and there are multicomponent substances/systems. Conceptually, every element* behaves like ice (yes, I am aware that ice is not an element) - everything from Hydrogen to Laurensis. Mixed substances are similar. The only divergence comes from an irreversible separation occurring when molecular kinetic energy overcomes the bonds that hold proteins and other macro molecules together. The resulting substances or sub-substances behave just like the elements or revert to elements themselves.

The ultimate question is, "Why does stuff separate, and why does it stay together?" It's like I already said. The whole world is ice. It can exist in different forms, but it always migrates to a form and a composition that minimizes its energy level. Despite appearances, matter always does what's easiest. That's thermodynamics.

HOM asks, "Aren't people different? Is 'easier' really better?" PSM sneers, "I know what you mean...all the time I'm hearing about the guidelines of thermodynamics."

My teacher says, "The first time you take thermo, you feel like you understand it. The second time, you realize you don't know anything. When the third time comes around, you just don't care anymore.” On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I agree completely.

*Excepting radioactive decomposition of course. You might argue that water decays too, but the time frame is so long, you'd have to start talking about the fate of the universe which is most certainly a discussion for another day. A comprehensible scientific object lesson is hard enough as it is.

Oceans - The Format