Hello Moorad;
You wrote:
> Dear George,
>
> To derive the notion of wetness from an intermolecular forces, say between
> H2O molecules, is no easy task. What you expect from a theory is much more
> than that and it seems to me that no such theory can give us a mousetrap
> from mere intermolecular forces.
>
> Moorad
The emergent property associated with complex systems does answer your concern.
The example of "wetness" is good in that the presence of a single H2O molecule
on another
macroscopic entity (or even another molecule) would constitute the latter being
"wetted" by physical/chemical
process (van der Waals, etc..). However, to say a single H2O molecule posses
wetness would be problematic; thus
wetness is an emergent property fully understood by natural process.
Evolution of mousetraps is not a problem for nature as such entities as The
Venus Fly trap attest to. :-)
George
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