GRGR1: Discussion opener for section 1

[George Haberberger]

At 09:29 AM 9/24/96 +0100, David Evers wrote:
>
>Here's a question that's puzzling me -- can anyone help?
>
>What's the deal with all the _iron_ in the first section?
>
>Previous readings have conditioned me to expect the wood/coal/tar
>business, with the later links to Gravity, organic synthesis and so on,
>but the iron's got me stumped.

How about the mass production of iron ( and eventually steel) being the main
focus of the 
Industrial Revolution. Producing large amounts of iron required larger
amounts of coal, from this we have a need for many people to work in the
mines under the Welsh countryside and the Ruhr valley under dismal working
conditions (aha, a need for many preterites, and all of a sudden raw
materials become vital war resources).

As a bonus, and my understanding of the process maybe a little shaky, but
didn't the conversion of coal into coke (needed to fuel the blast furnaces
that smelted iron) leave a sticky, black, nearly worthless residue known as
coal tar?

George

>
>  - it has the most stable (tightly-bound) nucleus of any element
>
>  - ferromagnetism => compasses => pointing North/South
>
>Any guesses?
>
>Cheers,
>
>---- Dave