Exploring Mass & Energy: Is Energy Created or Has it Always Existed?

[James Nease]

I was pondering to myself today while reading Einstein's Evolution of Physics, so I was looking at E=mc^2 and it got me wondering. If mass and energy are the same, but mas cannot be created or destroyed through the law of mass conservation does the same hold for energy? Is energy created or has it always existed, has it existed around the time of mass or perhaps even before it?

Think of this perhaps the beginning of the universe it was nothing more than freebound energy, and the energy finally collided, and solidified into a mass, this mass then broke apart in the big bang which formed the planets, stars and systems and so forth. Now this energy is still present coming form this mass continuing to separate it and combine it with other masses. This energy came to form gravity, light, sound and the other forces which are contained within in the universe.

So, I got to thinking maybe mass did not always exist as mass what if it was energy but where did the enrgy come from some sort of rift? Maybe the energy was always there as it seems more sensible that energy would have existed before the mass as the mass is what created the universe and that mass and energy are equal. So in my theory I am stating that this energy is the beginning of everything we know, the forces, the matter and time and space itself.

Let me know what you think?

 

[ZapperZ]

I was pondering to myself today while reading Einstein's Evolution of Physics, so I was looking at E=mc^2 and it got me wondering. If mass and energy are the same, but mas cannot be created or destroyed through the law of mass conservation does the same hold for energy? Is energy created or has it always existed, has it existed around the time of mass or perhaps even before it

The idea of "mass cannot be created or destroyed" and "conservation of energy" were taught to you before you were taught that "E=mc^2", which now clearly indicates that mass and energy can be transformed into one another. What is actually being conserved is the total sum of energy+mass. If you have a system that has no conversion between energy and mass (which is most of the time in our classical world), then energy and mass are conserved separately, which is obvious.

However, if you are dealing with more "exotic" process in which mass and energy are interchangable, then the more general principle that is relevant is the conservation of mass AND energy together.

Zz.

 

[arivero]

On other thing, please do not forget the definitions of these quantities. Mass is the proportionality between force and aceleration. Energy is the stored ability to produce work.

 

[dextercioby]

Too bad these 2 definitions have nothing to do with [itex] \mbox{E}=\mbox{m}\mbox{c}^{2} [/tex]...

Daniel.

 

[<<<GUILLE>>>]

The idea of "mass cannot be created or destroyed" and "conservation of energy" were taught to you before you were taught that "E=mc^2", which now clearly indicates that mass and energy can be transformed into one another.

Exactly. I have to add that when energy is transformed to mass and vice versa, in none of this processes there is any kind of destruction of mass or energy.

 

[Kirk Gregory Czuhai]

"Is this possible?"
James, I suppose, if that's what you wish to believe what happened before the Big Bang or creation of the Universe and did not accept what I would have to say about my ideas, I say good luck!

When the Big Bang occured, time, space, matter and energy as we know it were created in our known universe. Thus to talk about them " before" "then" go ahead if you want to!
love and peace,
and,
peace and love,
(kirk) kirk gregory czuhai