However, this is not enough to account for the difference between lead and tin.

ECONOMIST: Einstein and car batteries

The Company has interests in mining for aluminum, borax, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, silver, tin, uranium, zinc, titanium, dioxide feedstock, diamonds, talc and zircon.

FORBES: Guru Stocks at 52-Week Lows: VALE, RIO, FB, AAUKY, HPQ

Although BNP Paribas looks for strength in base metals next year, it lowered its fourth quarter 2012 and first quarter 2013 price outlooks for aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc from previous forecasts after price weakness earlier this year.

FORBES: FOCUS: Base Metals May Rise Going Into Year's End

Lead, being heavier than tin, has more protons in its nucleus (82, against tin's 50).

ECONOMIST: Einstein and car batteries

For, according to Dr Pyykko's calculations, relativity explains why tin batteries do not work, but lead ones do.

ECONOMIST: Einstein and car batteries

Zinc and lead were also down, although tin and nickel managed gains.

FORBES: Market Nuggets: CME Group: Nymex Platinum Hits Fresh Open-Interest Record

This is a particular mystery because tin, which shares many of the features of lead, makes lousy batteries.

ECONOMIST: Einstein and car batteries

Production of tin is unlikely to grow much next year and lead may move into supply deficit in 2013, BNP Paribas said.

FORBES: FOCUS: Base Metals May Rise Going Into Year's End

The Journal reviewed every event in the Olympics thus far to see which country has finished last (the lead medal), second-to-last (tin) and third-to-last (zinc) most often.

WSJ: Menu

Monti killed that deal on a theory called conglomeratization: By buying a maker of machinery that produces rival plastic bottles, Tetra Laval could in a few years leverage its lead position in cartons to also control plastic alternatives (glass bottles and tin cans are the packaging products still out of Tetra Laval's reach).

FORBES: Two-card Monti