Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Plasma



On Thursday, November 20, 2003, at 01:02 AM, Ludwik Kowalski wrote:

The word "plasma" is used to describe the
liquid part of blood. And in physics the same
word is used to describe a mixture of positive
and negative ions (usually electrons and positive
ions). What do biological and physical plasmas
have in common (to justify the same word)?
Ludwik Kowalski

Well, blood is a great conductor; its ions make the effects of
static electric fields propagate through the body quickly
(like walking across a carpet on a winter's day and
reaching for that old doorknob -- the field at your feet is
experienced at your finger).

Dan M

Dan MacIsaac, Assistant Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
222SCIE BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave , Buffalo NY 14222 USA 716-878-3802
<macisadl@buffalostate.edu> <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>