Composition of
Substances
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Last
Update: 12/13/02
Copyright© 1996-2002. All rights reserved. See Terms of Usage.
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#$TangibleStuffCompositionType tangible
stuff types
A collection of collections and a specialization of
#$ExistingStuffType.
Instances are subcollections of #$PartiallyTangible
whose membership is based only on the physical and/or
chemical composition of their instances. #$TangibleStuffCompositionType
does not have as instances collections whose instances are
determined _solely_ by the physical state they are in -- for
that, see #$TangibleStuffStateType.
For example, the collection #$Water is an instance of #$TangibleStuffCompositionType,
as instances of #$Water are all pieces of substance with the
chemical composition H20. On the other hand , the collection
of all pieces of ice (i.e. (#$SolidFn #$Water)
is not a #$TangibleStuffCompositionType,
because membership in that collection depends on the
substance's composition _and_ on its physical state. Further
instances of #$TangibleStuffCompositionType
are #$Nylon, #$GasolineFuel, #$FattyTissue, #$TalcumPowder,
#$Nitrogen, and #$Glass. An important specialization of this
collection is #$ChemicalCompoundType.
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direct instance of: #$SecondOrderCollection
#$AtemporalNecessarilyEssentialCollectionType
direct specialization of:
#$ExistingStuffType
direct generalization of: #$ElementStuffType #$PureSubstanceType
#$ChemicalSubstanceType
#$PhysicalCompositionPredicate composition predicate
A collection of predicates that are used to relate
a partially tangible thing to its partially tangible parts
or components, where those parts or components might or
might not be spatially continuous or discrete. Each instance
of #$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
has an arity of 2, and both argument places are constrained
(see #$argIsa) to instances of #$PartiallyTangible,
or some subcollection thereof. Each instance of #$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
is a specialization of the predicate #$physicalDecompositions
(q.v.); consequently, for each instance PRED of #$PhysicalCompositionPredicate,
either (#$genlPreds PRED #$physicalDecompositions)
or (#$genlInverse PRED #$physicalDecompositions) holds.
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direct instance of: #$PredicateCategory
direct specialization of:
#$CotemporalPredicate #$PartPredicate
direct generalization of:
#$PhysicalPartPredicate
Mixtures Solutions Suspensions
#$Mixture mixtures
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A specialization of #$PartiallyTangible.
Each instance of #$Mixture is a
homogeneous partially tangible thing composed of two or more
different constituents (see the predicate #$constituents)
which have been mixed. The inputs to this mixing do not form
chemical bonds among themselves, and at a later time the
mixture may be separated back out into these inputs.
Specializations of #$Mixture
include #$Blood, #$Mud, #$Air, and #$CarbonatedBeverage.
Note that each instance of #$Mixture has a
composition but not a structure; thus, the following are
_not_ instances of #$Mixture, since
all have some structure: a wet sponge, a person, or a
portion of plywood.
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direct instance of:
#$ExistingStuffType
direct specialization of:
#$PartiallyTangible
direct generalization of:
#$Drink #$Solution
#$Air #$Suspension
#$Fruit #$MetalAlloy
#$Cloth
#$Solution solutions
An instance of #$ExistingStuffType,
and a specialization of #$Mixture. Each
instance of #$Solution is a
mixture of two or more chemically distinct substances.
Instances of #$Solution are
homogeneous, meaning that the composition at any one point
in a given instance is the same as that at any other point.
In contrast, instances of #$Suspension
are mixtures in which small discontinuous particles are
surrounded by a continuous fluid. The #$solvent of
every #$Solution has
the #$stateOfMatter
#$Liquid-StateOfMatter.
Thus #$Solutions
also normally exhibit the properties of a liquid, since #$solvents are
#$mainConstituents.
Examples of #$Solutions
include a sample of seawater, a cup of coffee, a tincture of
iodine, some vanilla extract.
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direct instance of:
#$ExistingStuffType
direct specialization of:
#$Mixture
direct generalization of: #$Water-Saline
#$Suspension suspensions
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A collection of tangible stuffs; a subcollection of
#$Mixture. Each
instance of #$Suspension
is a mixture which has exactly one #$suspendingFluid
and at least one kind of #$suspendedPart.
Each of the #$suspendedParts
is an instance of #$Particle, and
there are a mob of them. Some suspensions are fairly stable
(e.g., mayonnaise), while others tend to separate quickly
(e.g., sugar stirred into cold lemonade). Other examples of
#$Suspension
include a #$CloudInSky, a
spray of aerosol deodorant.
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direct instance of:
#$ExistingStuffType
direct specialization of:
#$Mixture
#$suspendingFluid suspending fluid
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
The predicate #$suspendingFluid
indicates the particular fluid in which particles are
suspended in a particular instance of #$Suspension.
Thus, (#$suspendingFluid
SUS FLU) means that FLU is among the #$constituents
of the #$Suspension
SUS, FLU is a fluid (i.e., liquid OR gas), and FLU is the
fluid constituent which suspends the particles in SUS. For
example, in an instance of #$CloudlikeObject, the #$suspendingFluid
is the portion of #$Air that is surrounding and supporting
the droplets of water vapour in the cloud. In muddy water,
the #$suspendingFluid
is that instance of #$Water which is supporting the
particles of soil.
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direct instance of:
#$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
#$StrictlyFunctionalPredicate
#$AntiTransitiveBinaryPredicate #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate
#$CotemporalObjectsSlot
direct specialization of:
#$mainConstituent
#$suspendedPart suspended particle
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
The predicate #$suspendedPart
indicates an instance of #$Particle which
is suspended in a particular instance of #$Suspension.
Thus, (#$suspendedPart
SUS PART) means that PART is a #$Particle
suspended in the #$suspendingFluid
of the #$Suspension
SUS. Examples: in an instance of #$CloudOfH2O, the
(typical) #$suspendedPart
is a #$Particle
of water; in muddy water, the (typical) #$suspendedPart
is a #$Particle
of soil.
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direct instance of:
#$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
#$AntiSymmetricBinaryPredicate #$CotemporalObjectsSlot
direct specialization of:
#$constituents
#$solvent solvent
(composition predicate) (part predicate) (cotemporal predicate)
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
The predicate #$solvent
indicates a particular liquid in a #$Solution in
which the #$solute is dissolved.
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direct instance of:
#$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
#$StrictlyFunctionalPredicate
#$AntiSymmetricBinaryPredicate #$CotemporalObjectsSlot
direct specialization of:
#$mainConstituent
#$solute solute
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
The predicate #$solute
indicates a particular instance of #$PartiallyTangible
in a #$Solution
which is dissolved in the #$solvent of
that #$Solution.
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direct instance of:
#$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
#$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$CotemporalObjectsSlot
#$AntiTransitiveBinaryPredicate
Specifying Composition
#$NoteAboutIsaVsMainConstituentVsConstituents note
about isa vs main constituent vs constituents
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
When to use #$isa, #$mainConstituent,
or #$constituents.
We develop the following example as a basis for explaining
the differences. Consider X, where (#$isa X #$Water).
If we add some other substance(s) to X, to the point where
the mixture acquires some salient characteristic(s)
different from #$Water while retaining all the main
properties, then we should assert (#$mainConstituent
X W), where W is the original water -- i.e., (#$isa W #$Water) --
and X is the whole new mixture of W with some other
stuff(s). Suppose we add enough enough other stuff that the
physical properties of the mixture become significantly
different from those of water; then we should assert only (#$constituents
X W). #$isa - Use
#$isa if X
would commonly be referred to as `water', including cases in
which a small number of minor characteristics are different
due to some admixture. Examples (arguably, 3 and 4 are
borderline cases): 1. An instance of (#$PureFn #$Water)
#$isa
#$Water. 2. An instance of #$Water-Ingestible #$isa #$Water (but
may have trace constituents). 3. An instance of #$PoolWater
#$isa #$Water
(but has some #$Chlorine as a salient #$constituents).
4. An instance of #$SeaWater #$isa #$Water (but
has some #$Salt-NaCl as a salient #$constituents).
#$mainConstituent
- Use #$mainConstituent
when X contains other substances besides water, would NOT
commonly referred to as `water', and yet has MOST of the
material properties of water. As a rule, most of the
properties of the #$mainConstituent
transfer to the substance it's a part of. Often such
substances have at least one important and/or perceptible
characteristic (due to admixture) that is quite different
from the properties of water. Examples: 1. An instance of
#$Lemonade is NOT called `water' but has water as a #$mainConstituent.
It tastes quite different from water. It has nutritional
(caloric) value. It is a human-made beverage. 2. An instance
of #$Coffee-Beverage is NOT called `water' but has water as
a #$mainConstituent.
It tastes quite different from water. It contains caffeine.
Also, a specific inference about coffee's (lack of)
transparency should override the transparency which would
otherwise be inferred from the material properties of its #$mainConstituent.
3. Aqueous hydrochloric acid has many of the properties of
its main constituent, water -- for example, transparency,
viscosity, density, freezing point, etc. But it also has the
very important difference that it is highly acidic, caustic,
etc. -- and attributing to it water's potability would be
disastrous. #$constituents
- Use #$constituents
when X is NOT commonly referred to as `water' and has FEW
properties of water, even though X contains water. Examples:
1. An instance of (#$SolidFn
#$Gelatin) is NOT called `water', and though it has water
among its #$constituents,
gelatin has very few of the properties of water. 2. An
instance of #$Concrete is NOT called `water'; though it has
water among its #$constituents,
it has none of the salient characteristics of water. 3. An
instance of #$Mud is NOT called `water' and has few
characteristics of water, though water is among its #$constituents.
Its #$mainConstituent
is some portion of #$Soil-Generic.
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direct instance of:
#$SharedNote #$Individual
#$constituents constituent
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
The predicate #$constituents
is used to indicate a particular #$PartiallyTangible
which makes up another (possibly non-distinct) #$PartiallyTangible
thing. (#$constituents
WHL PART) means that the individual object WHL is partially
constituted by PART, and PART is more or less uniformly
distributed in WHL. For example, the two teaspoons of
chocolate syrup that I put in my milk become #$constituents
of my glass of chocolate milk. Note that #$constituents
does not entail any special kind of association or bond
among the constituents of a thing; they might be simply
mixed, they might be chemically bonded, and they might be
part of some complex structure.
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direct instance of:
#$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
#$AntiSymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate
#$TransitiveBinaryPredicate #$CotemporalObjectsSlot
direct specialization of:
#$physicalDecompositions
#$mainConstituent main constituent
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A predicate that relates objects to further objects
which are their main constituents. (#$mainConstituent
WHOLE PART) means that WHOLE is partially constituted by
PART (so that (#$constituents
WHOLE PART) holds), and (as a default) the physical
properties of WHOLE are those of PART. For example, for a
particular instance of #$Lemonade, there is an instance of
#$Water which is the #$mainConstituent,
and most of the physical properties of that instance of
#$Lemonade derive from that instance of #$Water. On the
other hand, a person is _not_ considered to have some
portion of #$Water as #$mainConstituent,
even though much of a person's mass is #$Water, since the
physical properties of a person are not the same as those of water.
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direct instance of:
#$PhysicalCompositionPredicate
#$StrictlyFunctionalSlot #$AntiSymmetricBinaryPredicate #$CotemporalObjectsSlot
direct specialization of:
#$constituents
#$ingredients ingredient
(transitive binary predicate) (asymmetric binary
predicate) (antisymmetric binary predicate)
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
The predicate #$ingredients
is used to indicate a particular input used to make a
particular artifact. (#$ingredients
ART INGR) means that the #$PartiallyTangible
thing INGR was one of the #$inputs to the
creation of the #$Artifact ART, and
INGR (or matter derived from it) is one of ART's #$physicalParts.
This is a general predicate that usually can be stated in a
more specific manner. For example: #$ingredients-Separable
applies only to those inputs which retain their identity in
the creation process and which are incorporated into the
resulting #$Artifact;
#$ingredients-Constituent applies to ingredients that
permiate the resulting #$Artifact; and
#$ingredients-Destroyed refer to ingredients that have been
transformed in the creation process.
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direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate
#$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of:
#$startsAfterStartingOf
Purity
#$PureFn pure fn
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
An instance of #$CollectionDenotingFunction.
(#$PureFn X)
denotes the subcollection of the #$ChemicalSubstanceType
X whose instances are chemically pure. Note that #$PureFn can be
applied only to instances of #$ChemicalSubstanceType
(such as #$Fructose or #$Water), but not to mixtures (such
as #$Air). See also #$PureSubstance.
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direct instance of: #$UnaryIntersectionFunction #$Individual
#$PureSubstance pure substances
**COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**
**GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A collection of tangible stuffs. Each instance of
#$PureSubstance
is a chemically pure portion of stuff belonging to some
particular #$ChemicalSubstanceType
(e.g. #$Water or #$Cellulose). `Chemically pure' applies to
a piece of stuff which has no sub-portions that fail to
conform to the chemical composition of its (single) #$ChemicalSubstanceType.
In typical contexts, most common portions of a #$ChemicalSubstanceType
will not be instances of #$PureSubstance
. For example, a piece of pencil lead, though mostly carbon,
will not be an instance since it is not pure carbon and any
portion of ordinary tap water will contain too many
impurities. Many sub-portions of either a piece of pencil
lead or portion of tap water will fail to conform to the
chemical composition of either carbon or water. Some
instances of #$ChemicalSubstanceType
are subcollections of #$PureSubstance
in most contexts but not in all. In typical domestic
contexts, for example, a piece of ordinary distilled water
would be an instance of #$PureSubstance
. However, in a clean room or microchip manufacturing
context, ordinary distilled water would probably be
considerd impure (see #$ImpureCompound). In general, to
refer to a pure instance of a substance one can use the
function #$PureFn, e.g. (#$PureFn
#$Carbon). Note that #$PureFn has #$PureSubstance
as a #$resultGenl
. Since this kind of purity is relative to specified
chemical composition only, #$PureSubstance
(and #$PureFn)
does not pertain to mixtures in Cyc (such as #$Air). Cf. #$Mixture, #$ChemicalSubstanceType.
See also #$PureSubstanceType
and #$ImpureCompound.
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direct instance of:
#$TangibleStuffCompositionType
direct specialization of:
#$InanimateThing
#$PureSubstanceType types
of pure substance
An instance of #$SecondOrderCollection. Each
instance of #$PureSubstanceType
is both a specialization of #$PureSubstance
(q.v.) and a specialization of some instance of #$ChemicalSubstanceType
(q.v.). Each instance of #$PureSubstanceType
is characterized by the properties of the instance of #$ChemicalSubstanceType
of which it is a specialization, and by the fact that each
of its instances is chemically pure.
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direct instance of: #$SecondOrderCollection
direct specialization of:
#$TangibleStuffCompositionType
Cyc
has a representation scheme for one sense of `purity', which is
chemical purity. See #$PureCompound, #$PureFn, and #$PureCompoundType.
Copyright© 1996-2002. All rights reserved. See Terms of Usage.