Re: DAMN, THAT'S COOL! (Help a fellow geek)

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#1339

From: Malcolm Walters
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 00:00

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Erik Max Francis wrote:
> 
> Jeffery Young wrote:
> 
> > I know the math, but the physical explanation doesn't sit with me.
> 
> The physical explanation is the distinction between mathematical surface
> area and volume and realistic surface area and volume, when it comes to
> painting a surface or filling a volume with paint.
> 
The problem comes when you take into account the finite size of the
paint molecules. Only a finite amount of the surface is painted and an
infinite amount is left unpainted. The actual volume of paint required
is slightly less than the total volume of the shape as well.
A bad ascii picure hopefully shows this.
\           /
 \         /
 |         |
 \        /
  |       | This volume is filled and the surface 'painted'
  \      /
   |  _  | 
    \/ \/
    || || This paint 'molecule' cannot get any further down.
    \\_//
    |   |
    |   |This volume cannot be filled nor the surface covered.
    \   /
Malcolm.

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From: Malcolm Walters <malcolm@physchem.ox.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: DAMN, THAT'S COOL! (Help a fellow geek)
Date: 1997/01/30
Message-ID: <32F06F7B.41C6@physchem.ox.ac.uk>
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