This is clearly a comedy piece. Nothing can be 1,000 times stronger than titanium. We just don't see that wide a variation in strong materials. Also, anything that is clearly metallic will not be transparent. By definition, a metal contains a "sea of electrons" and it is this cloud of freely moving electrons which reflects nearly all electromagnetic waves.
Pure metal crystals are transparent to certain wavelengths.
Edit:
From _Introduction to Solid State Physics_, 6th Ed., by Charles Kittel, pg. 258:
Transparency of Alkali Metals in the Ultraviolet
From the preceding discussion of the dielectric function we conclude that simple metals should reflect light in the visible region and be transparent to ultraviolet light. The effect was discovered by Wood, and explained by Zener. [...] The reflection of light from a metal is entirely similar to the reflection of radio waves from the ionosphere, for the free electrons in the ionosphere make the dielectric constant negative at low frequencies.
End quote.
The wavelength of transparency is entirely dependent on the crystalline structure the metal or alloy forms. Get the right atom spacing, and you'll get visible light transparency. It's just that simple.
This is clearly a comedy piece. Nothing can be 1,000 times stronger than titanium. We just don't see that wide a variation in strong materials. Also, anything that is clearly metallic will not be transparent. By definition, a metal contains a "sea of electrons" and it is this cloud of freely moving electrons which reflects nearly all electromagnetic waves.
I don't see why having electrons moving freely in a metal should have any impact on the transparency of the metal.
About the strength of the material, there ARE huge variations between the different metals : gold is very ductile, while titanium is extremely strong, and mercury is liquid at ambient temperature.
And if the cristalline structure is very pure, that will indeed lead to very very strong metals (think diamond, here).
Also, anything that is clearly metallic will not be transparent. By definition, a metal contains a "sea of electrons" and it is this cloud of freely moving electrons which reflects nearly all electromagnetic waves.
You can actually make metallic glasses. They aren't transparent in the traditional sense but they certainly possess some very interesting properties.
Comments
Originally posted by maninmac
COMPUTER!!
COMPUTER??
Thanks, now I've got orange juice all over my keyboard.
Originally posted by stupider...likeafox
The original post claims that this mystery material is both lightweight ("lighter than styrofoam" to be exact) *and* transparent.
What you are talking about would only account for the transparency.
Unless it is simply a light alloy to begin with.
LINK
Here is another link for amorphous steel.
LINK
Pure metal crystals are transparent to certain wavelengths.
Edit:
From _Introduction to Solid State Physics_, 6th Ed., by Charles Kittel, pg. 258:
Transparency of Alkali Metals in the Ultraviolet
From the preceding discussion of the dielectric function we conclude that simple metals should reflect light in the visible region and be transparent to ultraviolet light. The effect was discovered by Wood, and explained by Zener. [...] The reflection of light from a metal is entirely similar to the reflection of radio waves from the ionosphere, for the free electrons in the ionosphere make the dielectric constant negative at low frequencies.
End quote.
The wavelength of transparency is entirely dependent on the crystalline structure the metal or alloy forms. Get the right atom spacing, and you'll get visible light transparency. It's just that simple.
Originally posted by neutrino23
This is clearly a comedy piece. Nothing can be 1,000 times stronger than titanium. We just don't see that wide a variation in strong materials. Also, anything that is clearly metallic will not be transparent. By definition, a metal contains a "sea of electrons" and it is this cloud of freely moving electrons which reflects nearly all electromagnetic waves.
I don't see why having electrons moving freely in a metal should have any impact on the transparency of the metal.
About the strength of the material, there ARE huge variations between the different metals : gold is very ductile, while titanium is extremely strong, and mercury is liquid at ambient temperature.
And if the cristalline structure is very pure, that will indeed lead to very very strong metals (think diamond, here).
Originally posted by neutrino23
Also, anything that is clearly metallic will not be transparent. By definition, a metal contains a "sea of electrons" and it is this cloud of freely moving electrons which reflects nearly all electromagnetic waves.
You can actually make metallic glasses. They aren't transparent in the traditional sense but they certainly possess some very interesting properties.
In the meantime... translucent *concrete* anyone?
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...&e=2&ncid=1756