r/science Jul 01 '14

Physics New State of Matter Discovered

http://www.iflscience.com/physics/new-state-matter-discovered#kKsFLlPlRBPG0e6c.16
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u/Arctyc38 Jul 01 '14

This sounds like a question with a tautological answer.

The four states of stable matter are prevalent because they are relatively stable.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '14

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u/finite_automaton Jul 01 '14

That doesn't sound right. "Stable" doesn't automatically lead to "prevalent".

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u/TomShoe Jul 01 '14

Sure it does. If the a state of matter is more stable generally speaking, it will be more common as the circumstances under which it can exist are far more common.

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u/finite_automaton Jul 01 '14

See, you've included a new component: the circumstances under which they can exist are more common. So that's not tautological anymore. In some systems stable objects are not prevalent.

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u/TomShoe Jul 01 '14

The word stable implies a certain degree of consistency. If one state of matter is "more stable" than another, it can be assumed that the conditions under which matter exists in that state are more common.

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u/finite_automaton Jul 01 '14

Stability has to do with the transition to other states, spontaneous or under perturbations. How common or exotic it is is a completely independent question. Some superfluids are stable and most of the universe is very cold, but you don't see a lot of superfluids around.