Interview with 2006 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

[staroidster]

Without really mastering chemistry, the "ordinary person" benefits from a smattering of the essentials of chemistry, and the basics of the physics behind it.

Why do familiar objects appear solid, when we are told they're made up of tiny particles? Why , then is water observed at three different states? Why does ice float? What's going on in my body? Chemistry helps in questions like these, and what's more, gives us a basis for an over-all conception of our universe.

[Bwraithly]

I enjoy and value knowledge, but not necessarily chemistry. There are plenty of other interesting things to know.

[akaDrAcula]

Chemistry is an expansive discipline, by saying you don't have an interest in chemistry is basically equivalent to saying you have no interest in science.

By that I mean one could argue that chemistry is the building block of all science. Whether it's biochemistry such as signalling in neuroanatomy or organic chemistry allowing the synthesis of all life or even physical chemistry to understand the microscopic and macroscopic properties of our surroundings

[sikurzu]

I agree to akaDrAcula in that Chemistry is one of the key basic to science.

It all eventually boils down to the Chemistry.

[gammaknifed]

No, Physics underlies Chemistry. "It all" boils down to the forces between the sub-atomic particles, not the resulting composition, which is the Chemistry.

[BJJ87]

@gammaknifed You sir, know nothing about Chemistry. There is no sciencie of everything, Physics is physics, Chemistry is chemistry. Chemistry is a LOOOOOOOOOT more than just forces between sub-atomic particles, trust me.

[BJJ87]

@gammaknifed To be more clear, what your saying is like saying Biology/Medicine is the "sum" of Chemistry, since we're all made of atoms... Ridiculous.

[gammaknifed]

@BJJ87 Atomic/molecular behaviour is more or less governed by the laws of Physics, and Chemistry is more or less concerned with atoms and molecules and their behaviour. So it does not just eventually boil down to the Chemistry as Sikurzu said. I do not mean that Biology/Medicine is the sum of anything! They are all discrete disciplines, but there is definitely convergence and divergence between them, such as how Physics and Chemistry converge in the quantum field.

[BJJ87]

@gammaknifed They converge ok, but don't make it sound like if you know physics you consequently master chemistry... For example, when you start studying Biology, they tell you, for example, a cell is basically the sum of atoms, and YET it's not the sum of the atoms' behaviour, it's hard to explain in english for me, I hope to have made my point.

[gammaknifed]

@BJJ87 "but don't make it sound like if you know physics you consequently master chemistry... " I wasn't. Thank you for your input though.

[thedailyenglishshow]

"I think it's terribly important for all ordinary people to learn about and understand chemistry ..." Why?

"There's really nothing more valuable to the life of any person than to have some conception of the chemical basis for all of what goes on around us." Really? I can think of plenty of things more valuable than that.

[IntangibleFate]

What's more important than to free yourself from ignorance? We believe, or at least some do, that everything around us just happens to be what it is because.. well, because it is! Knowing why we can't see black holes, why Taxol can be the answer to cancer development, etc. can be interesting to know. Of course, some people would find it all extremely boring at first, but when you really get to understand what it means and why, things can get pretty interesting.

[marcriganoskate]

like what?