atomic size matters to me!

Truly, I had meant to write last summer.
I truly did.
But I would get a few pages into the book and realize that I wasn't following her train of thought. I was rolling off the track like oranges off a messy stack.
Perhaps it was because I was on vacation.
But no, I don't think that was it.
Perhaps it was because I was busy with weddings in South Carolina and Tennessee.
Then again, I doubt that would have deterred me for this long.
No.
The true reason is this: I allowed the words to get in the way.
But I finally saw through the smokescreen that language can impose.
After all, re-purposing of language is not a new concept. Every field of study, every career, every line of work in the world has its own set of jargon.
But once I recognized that the Old French were correct in their assessment of jargon as "chatter", I embraced the new words Veronica was using. After all, the words themselves were not new, simply the way in which the words were used.
"Bigga bada boom," as Leeloo would say.
In other words, I caught the gist of what Veronica Berns was saying.
What a success!
That's all she was trying to accomplish with the book!
I encourage you to get your own copy of "Chemical Pressure and Its Applications to the Tsai-Type Quasicrystal, or... Atomic Size Matters" here.
Surely that title is no more daunting than "The Effect of Molecular and Morphological Structure on the Tensile Properties of the Linear Polyethylenes".
That was the handle I gave to my doctoral thesis, en route to my Doctorate of Philosophy in Analytical Chemistry.
"Molecular Shape and Size Matter" would have been more friendly.
But our actual titles had to have the jargon added for the sake of our peers, to make us sound smarter, to make us sound like we belong in that particular club or career or trade or ivory tower.
Clearly, she and I are both real people, living in a real world, and trying to communicate our passions to all and not just to a select few.
Good for her!
Even so, here are some words of advice for future readers of the book.
"Chemical Pressure" refers to the strain caused by atoms being too close together or too far apart for optimal (i.e., "low") bonding energy.
(Try to remember that nature loves low energy states, just like we do.)
When the atoms are too close together, the chemical pressure is positive and causes a spring-like effect to force the atoms away from each other. In other words, positive chemical pressure blows the atoms apart.
When the atoms are too far apart, the chemical pressure is negative and causes a vacuum-like effect to bring the atoms closer. That means that negative chemical pressure sucks the atoms together.
There.
Now you're ready to read, and enjoy, her entertaining comic approach to chemistry!
(smile!)