Credits: Pixabay
How is it that two pieces of a broken solid object cannot be bound back together without using some type of adhesive?
This may sound like an absurd question to ask as we would never expect broken objects to be put back into one piece without the use of glue, stick or similar.
But when you dig deeper into this topic, it raises interesting questions about what makes atoms within a solid bond together.
Let's take the example of a simple object made of a single type of atoms: a strip of lead.
The lead atoms within the strip are locked together in a fixed framework which gives the object its rigidity.
When the strip is cut into two pieces, what happens to the atoms at the point of separation?
Why is it that the only way to fuse the two parts together ever again is to melt the edges, reassemble the pieces and wait for it to cool down?
How is inter-atomic bond achieved within a solid?
What happens when the solid is liquefied, then solidified again?
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