Chapter
The Impossible Crystals
01:57 - 07:33 (05:36)
Understanding how atoms can come together to form crystals is key to understanding the building blocks of matter, but some arrangements are impossible due to rigorous mathematics.
Clips
Learn about the different ways atoms and molecules can come together to form different types of matter, and how a new form of matter was once thought to be impossible.
01:57 - 04:17 (02:19)
Summary
Learn about the different ways atoms and molecules can come together to form different types of matter, and how a new form of matter was once thought to be impossible.
ChapterThe Impossible Crystals
Episode#058 - Professor Paul Steinhardt - A New Kind Of Matter
PodcastModern Wisdom
Imagine tiling your floor with pentagons, but no matter how you place them, there remain gaps in between them.
04:17 - 05:34 (01:16)
Summary
Imagine tiling your floor with pentagons, but no matter how you place them, there remain gaps in between them. This is because not all shapes can fit perfectly, and certain shapes, such as pentagons with equal side lengths and angles, cannot form a pattern that fills a surface without leaving spaces.
ChapterThe Impossible Crystals
Episode#058 - Professor Paul Steinhardt - A New Kind Of Matter
PodcastModern Wisdom
Atoms arrange themselves in clusters and create crystal forms with strong interatomic forces.
05:34 - 07:33 (01:59)
Summary
Atoms arrange themselves in clusters and create crystal forms with strong interatomic forces. The rules of symmetry limit the shapes matter can take, including the absence of certain pentagonal symmetries.