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swerdna
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Is there a scientifically accepted definition of matter, and if so, what is it?
Thanks, but hardly scientific.billiards said:What is matter?
'It is the real substance of which actual physical objects - the 'things' of this world - are composed.' Sir Roger Penrose.
Thanks - Isn't this essentially saying that anything and everything that exists is matter?billiards said:Newton would've probably agreed with your mass statement. Yet Einstein says E=mc2. In other words, energy and mass are interchangeable. This is commonly appreciated when considering particles, people appreciate the interchangeability when decaying Uranium atom seems to swap mass for energy. But it seems to me less appreciated that Maxwell's electromagnetic field (which carries energy, right?) must therefore carry mass, thus a field is also matter. In fact a substantial portion of a body's mass is derived from the elecromagnetic fields within it! Of course, Einstein's gravitational field would therefore be matter too, but it is difficult to pin down because of reference frame considerations (don't ask me!), thing get more messy in the quantum world, but I won't even attempt to go there. That said, I certainly don't think the atom is the smallest indivisible unit of matter - I would say your statement was for the most part wrong.
swerdna said:Okay? - Is there anything wrong with this description of matter? . . .
Matter has mass and occupies space. Matter occupies it’s own space and cannot occupy the space of other matter. An atom is the smallest indivisible unit of matter. Anything subatomic is not matter.
Well, Wiki is a good start.trish said:hi..im new here.. still a student.iM having a hard time searching for the answer regarding this quetion.. How can you determine the mass of a particular electron? can you help me with this? i need it for my report next week..thanks!
ice109 said:what is the radius of an electron ;p ?
This is circular.arul_k said:What is matter : anything that obeys the properties of mass ie creats a gravitational field and obeys the laws of inertia.
billiards said:... Yet Einstein says E=mc2. In other words, energy and mass are interchangeable.
The scientific definition of matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space. It is the physical substance that makes up our universe and is composed of atoms and molecules.
Matter is classified into different states or phases based on its physical properties, such as shape, volume, and density. These states include solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
The basic building blocks of matter are atoms, which are the smallest unit of an element that retains its properties. Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
According to the Law of Conservation of Mass, matter cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change forms. This means that the total amount of matter in a closed system remains constant over time.
Matter and energy are closely related and can influence each other. Matter can contain and store energy, and energy can cause matter to change its state or properties. This relationship is described by the famous equation E=mc², which states that energy (E) is equal to the mass (m) of an object multiplied by the speed of light squared (c²).