What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with Einstein’s theory of relativity?

What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with
Einstein’s theory of relativity?
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...of-relativity/

One of the great moments in twentieth century science came when Paul
Dirac married quantum mechanics with Einstein’s Special Theory of
Relativity to produce relativistic quantum mechanics. Dirac’s theory
did many things – predict electron spin and the positron, analyze
atomic collisions, jump-start the revolution in quantum
electrodynamics – but it also had very significant repercussions for
chemistry. However these repercussions did not become known for
another few decades because it turned out that for solving most
problems in chemistry you could neglect relativistic effects.
Figuring out chemical bonding, predicting the thermodynamic
properties of molecules and rates of chemical reactions,
understanding the molecular glue that holds proteins together; all
these problems succumbed to calculation without chemists worrying
about relativity.

All except one problem, that is. And it deals with a question that
every child since antiquity has asked: Why is mercury liquid at room
temperature? Mercury – the only metal with this property – has
beguiled and fascinated men for centuries; a glittering substance
that flows with studied gravity, supports the weight of coins,
magically seems to dissolve other metals and resists all attempts to
scoop it up. A substance that can aid health when calibrated inside a
thermometer and can kill when it accumulates in living tissues. But
the one quality of mercury that is apparent to everyone who has even
the slightest acquaintance with it is its liquid nature.

Sam Wormley wrote:
What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with
Einstein’s theory of relativity?
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...of-relativity/

One of the great moments in twentieth century science came when Paul
Dirac married quantum mechanics with Einstein’s Special Theory of
Relativity to produce relativistic quantum mechanics. Dirac’s theory
did many things – predict electron spin and the positron, analyze
atomic collisions, jump-start the revolution in quantum
electrodynamics – but it also had very significant repercussions for
chemistry. However these repercussions did not become known for
another few decades because it turned out that for solving most
problems in chemistry you could neglect relativistic effects.
Figuring out chemical bonding, predicting the thermodynamic
properties of molecules and rates of chemical reactions,
understanding the molecular glue that holds proteins together; all
these problems succumbed to calculation without chemists worrying
about relativity.

All except one problem, that is. And it deals with a question that
every child since antiquity has asked: Why is mercury liquid at room
temperature? Mercury – the only metal with this property – has
beguiled and fascinated men for centuries; a glittering substance
that flows with studied gravity, supports the weight of coins,
magically seems to dissolve other metals and resists all attempts to
scoop it up. A substance that can aid health when calibrated inside a
thermometer and can kill when it accumulates in living tissues. But
the one quality of mercury that is apparent to everyone who has even
the slightest acquaintance with it is its liquid nature.

Two threads on the same subject.
Let's merge them with this video

http://youtu.be/NtnsHtYYKf0

On 8/21/13 3:34 PM, Mike Collins wrote:
Sam Wormley wrote:
What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with
Einstein’s theory of relativity?
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...of-relativity/

One of the great moments in twentieth century science came when Paul
Dirac married quantum mechanics with Einstein’s Special Theory of
Relativity to produce relativistic quantum mechanics. Dirac’s theory
did many things – predict electron spin and the positron, analyze
atomic collisions, jump-start the revolution in quantum
electrodynamics – but it also had very significant repercussions for
chemistry. However these repercussions did not become known for
another few decades because it turned out that for solving most
problems in chemistry you could neglect relativistic effects.
Figuring out chemical bonding, predicting the thermodynamic
properties of molecules and rates of chemical reactions,
understanding the molecular glue that holds proteins together; all
these problems succumbed to calculation without chemists worrying
about relativity.

All except one problem, that is. And it deals with a question that
every child since antiquity has asked: Why is mercury liquid at room
temperature? Mercury – the only metal with this property – has
beguiled and fascinated men for centuries; a glittering substance
that flows with studied gravity, supports the weight of coins,
magically seems to dissolve other metals and resists all attempts to
scoop it up. A substance that can aid health when calibrated inside a
thermometer and can kill when it accumulates in living tissues. But
the one quality of mercury that is apparent to everyone who has even
the slightest acquaintance with it is its liquid nature.

Two threads on the same subject.
Let's merge them with this video

http://youtu.be/NtnsHtYYKf0


My apologies -- I meant to post in sci.physics.
BTW -- nice video. Thanks!

On Wednesday, August 21, 2013 8:47:59 PM UTC+1, Sam Wormley wrote:
What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with

Einstein’s theory of relativity?

Its a waste of time Sam,a throwback to an era when mathematicians wanted to work
with electromagnetism but were bound to the voodoo of Sir Isaac's clockwork solar system which prohibited consideration a medium,you can even sense the desperation in the tone of those mid 19th century articles -

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/i...5 4.336.x.425

They hadn't a clue what those absolute/relative time,space and motions 'definitions' represented and even today when any reader here can discern that the Equation of Time is brought up in the Principia as absolute/relative time it is though the mind is snapped shut to anything other than preposterous 'time travel' notions or variants of it.

If the academics at Harvard and Oxford want to keep their reputations they are going to have to deal with the proper astronomical references for timekeeping and the Earth's dynamics because they simply can't compete with imaging in tandem with the original astronomical texts which produced these things.

On Wednesday, August 21, 2013 1:47:59 PM UTC-6, Sam Wormley wrote:
What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with
Einstein’s theory of relativity?

The fine structure constant, 1/137.03602, is the fraction of the speed of light at which the electron in the ground state of the hydrogen atom travels - or would travel, if it weren't for quantum mechanics.

So in heavier nuclei, electrons orbiting the nucleus travel at larger fractions of the speed of light. This affects how they behave, so it affects properties of the atoms of the heavier elements. It shows up in the spectroscope - fine structure being how some spectral lines are split in two - and in other places.

John Savard

"Quadibloc" wrote in message
...

On Wednesday, August 21, 2013 1:47:59 PM UTC-6, Sam Wormley wrote:
What does mercury being liquid at room temperature have to do with
Einstein’s theory of relativity?

The fine structure constant, 1/137.03602, is the fraction of the speed of
light at which the electron in the ground state of the hydrogen atom
travels - or would travel, if it weren't for quantum mechanics.

So in heavier nuclei, electrons orbiting the nucleus travel at larger
fractions of the speed of light. This affects how they behave, so it affects
properties of the atoms of the heavier elements. It shows up in the
spectroscope - fine structure being how some spectral lines are split in
two - and in other places.

John Savard
=========================================
No doubt light does have a speed relative to its source, and
no doubt the fine structure constant is some fraction of the yuan
to dollar ratio, but what does mercury being liquid at room
temperature have to do with the price of rice in China or Einstein’s
theory of relativity, about which you know absolutely nothing?
Just admit you are bull****ting, Savard, you haven't got a clue.

-- Lord Androcles, Zeroth Earl of Medway