Douglas Natelson on Nostr: We now have a much more sophisticated notion of a phase or state of matter. First, ...

We now have a much more sophisticated notion of a phase or state of matter. First, now that we can examine materials by more than just touching them, we realize that not all solids are the same and not all liquids are the same. Second, often it is possible to tune some parameter (T, P, B) and see that a system can change from one state/phase to another, sometimes with dramatic consequences.