Turning Energy into Matter: Exploring CERN & More

[BlueQuark]

Okay, this quite confuses me. "Energy" isn't anything physical. You can't point at energy. It's more of a property, like length. The definition of kinetic energy is $ke = .5mv^2$.

Now, how can something like an abstract property turn into matter? An example being CERN, when new particles are created from energy when particles with high energy smash into each other.

Please let me know if I got something wrong, thanks!

 

[Dale]

Now, how can something like an abstract property turn into matter?

That isn't quite accurate. A better way to say it is that particles with a given amount of this abstract property can turn into other particles with the same amount of this abstract property.

 

[BlueQuark]

That isn't quite accurate. A better way to say it is that particles with a given amount of this abstract property can turn into other particles with the same amount of this abstract property.

Okay, that does make a bit more sense. Do we know how exactly they turn into different particles though?

 

[Dale]

Okay, that does make a bit more sense. Do we know how exactly they turn into different particles though?

That is a large part of what the standard model explains. I don't know it well enough to explain it, but I would recommend asking that question in the QM forum. Be warned, there probably is not a B level answer.