Talk:Firebending/@comment-75.194.18.96-20120311025002/@comment-4888161-20120413204125

Well now we are getting somewhere at least. I finally understand what you meant by comparing freezing water to air creating electricity. Yes benders can manipulate matter on a molecular level to a certain degree. But it's more complicated then that. This can get a bit confusing, but I'll do my best to explain it:

You see the smallest particle of a periodic element is an atom. Now there is some confusion to the word element, as it has multiple meanings in this case. When I say periodic elements, I don't mean fire, water, etc. but I mean elements on the Periodic Table of Elements like oxygen, helium, hydrogen, iron, etc. And then there are compounds that are made of various combinations periodic elements. The smallest particles of compound matter is a molecule. This is the basis for everything else I am about to say, so if you don't understand it this far please make sure you do before you go ahead or it won't make any sense.

Now water is a compound, and it's molecules are made up of hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the proportion of it's chemical formula: H2O That is 2 parts hydrogen per one part oxygen. Now in order to move water, you are by default moving a mass of combined water molecules. This is because the molecule is the smallest particle of water. A body of water really is just a combined mass of the smallest particles of it. So a waterbender can manipulate a water molecule's movement, or else they couldn't manipulate a combined mass of these molecules.

So it also stands to reason that they can control the pattern the molecules move in. They can slow them down, and have them move closer together. They manipulate effect any other molecules besides water. They can't manipulate the atoms that make up the water, or the particles that make up those atoms. They can only manipulate the movement of the water molecules, because that is the smallest pure form of their element water. Just the fact that a bender can manipulate Now earth and air also can control movement of molecules of their respective element. They can't move any other molecules, just that of their own element. Nor can they control the particles that make up those elements as that goes beyond the purest form of their respective element. Since airbender can control the movement of air, they can also control the movement of air molecules. But molecular levels and atomic levels (or even sub atomic levels) are different.

I'm not done editing this but I didn't want to lose what I have so far because it's complicated so I'll finish the rest in a bit and it'll be completed.