The Perfect Gas Law

Abstract

Up to this point in the development of our subject we have been discussing the structures that are controlled by and, in a sense, stem from the force of gravity. We noted that if there were no forces at all in our universe, there could be no differentiation of the matter into the great variety of objects (from galaxies down to atoms) all about us. The universe would consist of noninteracting particles moving around in total randomness and completely filling all regions of space—a completely unordered and symmetrical universe. The first step in the evolution of structures was taken when the force of gravity, early in the life of the universe, began to tame the disorderly motions of particles and to bring these particles together to form gaseous spheres (the stars) and the more solid structures (the planets). But the force of gravity under ordinary conditions is far too weak to account for the structure of the matter that we see all about us. The great variety of chemical and physical properties associated with the different kinds of matter is clear enough evidence that the forces which produce these material structures are quite different from the force of gravity. Moreover, from the strengths of solids such as the metals, we deduce that the material structural forces are much stronger than the ordinary gravitational force.

It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.

—sir arthur conan soyle, “A Case of Identity”