"Master, you used the example of a catalyst [203], but can you explain to me the purely physical workings of such a blob of material?"
"I can at least try Ju Li. Imagine a billiard table with balls on it. It is certain that whatever you do with the cue, you can never get more energy in the balls than you put-in-to them. And because of friction, all movements will die out with time. Not so with the gas you set upon to ignite. The sum-total of the collisions and energy is always the same, and is called the temperature. Now think of making the billiard table in a triangle and smaller and smaller, till molecular level. Still it remains true that the sum-total of the energies of the atom-balls, will be constant, i.e. not enough to ignite, to compound, to make a bond between oxygen and hydrogen, giving water. But we have forgotten something now. On that tiny scale, the rims of the billiard table ALSO consist of moving, vibrating balls-atoms. When the scale is large it does not effect very much. On the molecular level the masses of the vibrating rim molecules can trap a couple of the gas molecules i.e. form, into such a small space that the hammering of the rim atoms deal out enough energy to well them together, to combine. This is ignition. It releases more energy than what was hammered into them, an exoterm reaction. So it ignites the whole lot. You can now see the principle of a physical catalyst, like a human sculptor, who hammers a piece of stone into a beautiful (Diderot) statue. He uses the Order of things for his own ends, HIS Order. He is just a catalyst!" [203]