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December, 2024

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Creating Matter

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TMswitch06
Posts: 987 - Karma: 11
My physics teacher tried to tell us that we CAN create matter by Electron-positron pair production...Im not even sure what that is but I am pretty sure matter cannot be created nor destroyed. can anyone shed some light on this for me?
Dec 14 2006 1:58PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Matter cannot be 'destroyed' per se, but it can be turned into energy, very huge amounts of energy. At that point it is massless. There is probably some possible way of convertring energy -> matter since the reverse is true I (or anyone maybe?) just don't know it.
Dec 14 2006 2:01PM
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Notorious_BLT
Posts: 3401 - Karma: 14
no it can be created according to one of stephen hawkings theorys.. it on the outside of a black hole or something and i forget the specifics but little things of matter pop up...thats all i remember
Dec 14 2006 2:04PM
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TMswitch06
Posts: 987 - Karma: 11
doesnt stephen hawkins theory have something to do with galaxies existing inside of black holes? and that our galaxy could very well be one giant black hole? deeeeep i know
Dec 14 2006 2:07PM
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DANETRON
Posts: 6671 - Karma: 137
ya, that or our galaxy revolves around a black hole the size of a pin point
Dec 14 2006 2:10PM
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TMswitch06
Posts: 987 - Karma: 11
yeah, mind fuck stuff like that, does anyone know the name of his book(s) that discuss this?
Dec 14 2006 2:11PM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
Hawkings theory is basically this:

Matter is constantly being created and destroyed in "empty" space. A positron pops into existence coupled with its antimatter counterpart, and they quickly annihilate each other (we're talking sub-nano seconds here). But, what happens if the antimatter particle falls into a black hole before it can match up again with its counterpart? Effectively, a positron is just left out there, thereby creating matter. However, this can only happen around the fringes of a black hole.
Dec 14 2006 2:17PM
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DANETRON
Posts: 6671 - Karma: 137
" a biref history of time" and "The world in a nutshell"
Dec 14 2006 2:18PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Creating matter isn't such a huge deal I don't think though. To create matter, it takes energy, and according to the Law of Conservation of Energy I think it is, the energy is constant. You have a net gain in matter but a proportional loss in energy. Thats just how I look at it at least.
Dec 14 2006 2:21PM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
You dont need to convert energy in order to create matter through Hawkings theory. Its based around the gravitational well in a black hole and how singularities effect matter.
Dec 14 2006 2:33PM
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steevner
Posts: 4502 - Karma: 47
law of conservation of mass explains it all. well doesn't really explain it but it says what's possible and what isn't
Dec 14 2006 2:37PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
If only we had a black hole to study shit on...so much more stuff would make sense! Granted if we were that close we'd probably be dead *shrug*
Dec 14 2006 2:56PM
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BurgRider
Posts: 1597 - Karma: 17
I've read a brief history of time by him.  Its an awesome book.  Im probably gonna read it again real soon
Dec 14 2006 3:39PM
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BurgRider
Posts: 1597 - Karma: 17
Its energy that can neither be created nor destroyed.  If it was impossible to create matter we most likely wouldn't be here.  and thats why its called the law of conservation of energy and not the law of conservation of matter
Dec 14 2006 3:41PM
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