Submitted by Zalack t3_11x4f9t in askscience
willowsword t1_jd5v2pe wrote
As others have said, no. Phase, like temperature, is an emergent property, which means that it appears upon interaction with others. Like the saying, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence
Extra info no one asked for:
Non-linear pattern formation is a branch of soft condensed matter physics that studies emergent patterns. Look up books by Philip Ball. Also the prof from the increasing-size dominoes meme, Dr. Stephen W. Morris, researched in this area before his recent retirement.
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