Newton and Van Der Waals force

I received this from Andy Price.  That Newton guy was one smart fellow…

“Jim Dempsey sends along this fabulous quote, which I have to share with you all:

‘I was looking at my old college physics  textbook, Alonso-Finn Fundamental University Physics Copyright 1967, I  Mechanics, and came across a quote, which when placed in today’s context of  Carbon Nanotubes in regards to Van Der Waals force is somewhat spooky.  Insight  from 300 years ago.’

The Parts of all homogeneal hard  Bodies which fully touch one another, stick together very strongly.  And for  explaining how this may be, some have invented hooked  Atoms….

I had rather infer from their  Cohesion, that their Particles attract one another by some Force, which in  immediate Contact is exceedingly strong, and reaches not far from the Particles  with any sensible Effect…. There are therefore Agents in Nature able to make  the Particles of Bodies stick together by very strong Attractions.  And it is the  business of experimental Philosophy to find them  out.

         Optiks, Book 3, Query 31 (1703),  Sir Isaac Newton”

Thanks Andy…

And, from several sources (including reader Eric Jaderlund), I received this related “good news” story about developments in the field of Carbon Nanotubes.

Thanks Eric…

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