Diamonds . . . carbon . . . The hardest material on earth made out of the most flexible element on earth. Carbon on carbon on carbon . . . The structure the carbon takes in a diamond is a crystalline structure. Each carbon has four bonded neighbors. These neighbors are corners of a tetrahedron. They make a 3D network that is oh, so pretty.
The same element can combine into a similar 2D structure. Viewed in a certain way, it looks very much like the structure of a diamond. Instead of making a 3D structure, the layers of 2D bonded carbon slides around and is graphite. It looks totally different from it's crystalline friend. From the looks of it, it seems that carbon and be stacked and twisted and manipulated to look and function in many, many different ways. Could this be the Lego equivalent of the elemental world?
3 comments:
I found it amazing that carbon makes up one of the hardest elements on earth, diamonds, while it also makes up one of the softest elements on earth, graphite. I also find it amazing that you know how to get pictures onto your blog. I am not quite the computer buff.
I too am impressed by your visuals. How do you do that?
How about a Sidebar in class? Time for Sarah, or someone, to explain how to get pictures into blogs!
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