Found Poetry in Physics Class Notes
by gaston on Oct.07, 2009, under Blog Posts, Notes from Wikipedia
3.
twelve-six potential, van der waals
attraction is the root of repulsion means
at a distance, particles are pulled
in proximity repulsed.
A few parameters approximate equilibrium
and things look simple and harmonic
where the energy is lowest
we find a comfortable orbit
but heat them up and they escape
evaporating into infinity and disappearing.
we spend more time in attraction
because repulsion is stronger.
Molecules can attract each other at moderate distances and repel each other at close range. … Van der Waals forces are… feeble; but without them, life as we know it would be impossible. Water would not condense from vapor into solid or liquid forms if its molecules didn’t attract each other. Intermolecular forces are responsible for many properties of molecular compounds, including crystal structures (e. g. the shapes of snowflakes), melting points, boiling points, heats of fusion and vaporization, surface tension, and densities. Intermolecular forces pin gigantic molecules like enzymes, proteins, and DNA into the shapes required for biological activity."(*,*)
