# Simplifying the properties of matter for the  Alchemical aspects of a magic system.



## Logos&Eidos (Jun 1, 2016)

I need some very real science help with an element of my magic system.

The basis of my magic system is elemental glyph that manifest on a person soul.

They glyphs are...

Fire(Heat).
Lightning.
Light.



Dynamis: physical force.

Aether: that which lies between matter and energy.

Air.
Water.
Flesh.
Wood.
Earth.

For most casters manipulation of material elements is entails moving and reshaping their element, however
those that possess  a transmutation sub-glyph can alter the properties of their element.

I didn't want to take the easy path and just say that a material can just be magiced into possessing different qualities. I wanted to actually be able to describe how matter had been changed. My problem is that the actual list of the physical and chemical properties of matter is rather long and I don't understand most of them or their ramifications;even if I did It'd still be a long list.

I Want to do is simplify that list of traits in a much smaller number of attributes.

For example I simplified the properties of ductility/elasticity/malleability into the attribute of Plastiscity. 

I also came  up with other attributes that I wasn't able clearly map to properties of matter.


Strength: is the resistance to breakage and deformation.  matter that has high Strength but low Plastiscity is brittle.

Solidity: is in part density, it's how tight the molecular bonds of a material are. Through con controlling air could be turned into jelly(good luck trying to breath) and water could be made solid without freezing.

Medium: is how efficiently matter will conduct or resist types of energy.

Vesselage: is matter's capacity to absorb energy.

Profusion: is the efficiency at which matter will releases energy. materials with high profusion  burn hotter than those with lower.

Incandescence: How flammable/combustible matter is,perhaps explosive as well.


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## La Volpe (Jun 3, 2016)

I'm only speaking from a high-school science background here, so I won't be terribly much help, but I do have a few things to add.

First thing that grabbed my attention was the density bit. If the magic user makes something denser, it will have to take up less space, unless he's adding matter to the universe. Let's say that a block of air, as a gas, takes up 5 cubic centimeters. If the mage makes it denser, maybe it now takes up 1 cubic centimeter. Ergo, there is now a void where the air was a moment before. If the change is sudden, there might be some kind of reaction as air rushes in to fill the space. Someone with a stronger science background might be able to help you better here.

And related to this, as far as I understand, water has a freezing point, whereat the fluid becomes a solid. So is your mage changing the freezing point of water to a higher temperature to get it to become a solid? I.e. I'm just unsure what you mean by something being made a solid without freezing.

And then, won't a low density and high bond strength between molecules automatically make a material more bendable? And a high density low bond strength more rigid and resistant to breakage and deformation? I.e. maybe you should split the density and molecular bond strength as two separate attributes? And if my assertions are true, then you won't need Strength and Plasticity, as these can be manipulated by density and molecular bond strength.

Similarly, I'd expect that the stuff you mention in medium and vesselage would also be related. Either directly or inversely. You may be able to compact your attributes like that.

As a final note, maybe you want to add something about magnetism as well? Magnetic stuff are always fun.


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## KC Trae Becker (Jun 3, 2016)

This system sounds interesting. You've done a bit of work on this. What are you asking help with?


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## Logos&Eidos (Jun 3, 2016)

La Volpe said:


> I'm only speaking from a high-school science background here, so I won't be terribly much help, but I do have a few things to add.
> 
> First thing that grabbed my attention was the density bit. If the magic user makes something denser, it will have to take up less space, unless he's adding matter to the universe. Let's say that a block of air, as a gas, takes up 5 cubic centimeters. If the mage makes it denser, maybe it now takes up 1 cubic centimeter. Ergo, there is now a void where the air was a moment before. If the change is sudden, there might be some kind of reaction as air rushes in to fill the space. Someone with a stronger science background might be able to help you better here.
> 
> ...




I see that I misused density. 

Strength is how resistance to stress matter is.

Solidity is how tightly bound the molecules are with in matter. For example solids are more tightly bound than vapor and liquids sit
between them.

Plasticity is how readily matter changes form.


Matter like ceramic is Strong,Solid but not very Plastic subject it force it will either resist or shatter but it will not give, the material is brittle;the hardness vs flexibility is an issue that metal workers have had to deal with.

Ceramic fabric and fiber spun from carbon nano-tubes are Strong,Solid and Plastic.

Like I said I used the term density incorrectly.

Making matter more or less Solid doesn't create or destroy matter just tightens or loses molecular bonds.
I see the solidification process bypassing  a lot of normal physics, solidified water isn't ice it's a transparent solid and earth materials rendered liquid aren't molten in temperature.       

Medium was meant to be all the properties that deal how matter interacts with energy,both conductivity and resistance.

Vesselage is how well matter can contain energy.





KC Trae Becker said:


> This system sounds interesting. You've done a bit of work on this. What are you asking help with?




I'm trying to simply and condenses the known properties of matter into a handful of attributes, five would the ideal because there are five classical elements. However as long as the list attributes is much shorter than the real science list of know properties of matter and words used for the attributes of matter are easily graspable I'll be happy.

The simplest that I've been able to get is three attributes  

*Energetics.

Integrity.

Fluidity.*


At it's heart the magic system system is elementalism with soul engraved runes that determine which elements you can manipulate, however some of the people who bare the runes of  material elements Air,Water,Wood,Flesh,Earth also posses  a sub-rune of transmutation that lets them change the properties of their element to a degree.


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