Axon Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Hey Guys, For years I've been asking myself a question that always leaves me frustrated. What fills the spaces between protons, neutrons, and electrons? As an up-and-coming nuclear physicist, I always try to bother myself with impossible questions such as this one. Someone that is semi-alfuent in subatomic physics first impulse might be to blurt out pions, mesons, baryons, leptons, quarks, petaquarks, ect. But this can't be! Those particles (when not enclosed inside pions or mesons) are hurteling toward and small or massive scale of gravitational pull! AND IT CAN'T BE NOTHING! That is the only answer that I cannot accept! It would defy the laws of physics. There is no nothing. But what fills the space?! Does this drive anyone else nuts?! -Ax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemania Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Read up on quantum mechanics. You can't apply the principle of classical physics into the quantum realm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galley Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 On a related note, you should check out the movie "What The Bleep Do We Know?" It deals with quantum physics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamz Veteran Posted May 2, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 2, 2005 Hey Guys,For years I've been asking myself a question that always leaves me frustrated. What fills the spaces between protons, neutrons, and electrons? As an up-and-coming nuclear physicist, I always try to bother myself with impossible questions such as this one. Someone that is semi-alfuent in subatomic physics first impulse might be to blurt out pions, mesons, baryons, leptons, quarks, petaquarks, ect. But this can't be! Those particles (when not enclosed inside pions or mesons) are hurteling toward and small or massive scale of gravitational pull! AND IT CAN'T BE NOTHING! That is the only answer that I cannot accept! It would defy the laws of physics. There is no nothing. But what fills the space?! Does this drive anyone else nuts?! -Ax 585859816[/snapback] 1. if you're talking about how revolving particles lose energy, then you need to read up some more. that was investigated in quantum mechanics. 2. that's a pretty cartesian argument. again, this has been discussed. Read up on quantum mechanics. You can't apply the principle of classical physics into the quantum realm. 585859830[/snapback] yup. things are very different at the quantum level. On a related note, you should check out the movie "What The Bleep Do We Know?" It deals with quantum physics. 585860826[/snapback] it's more propaganda, though. you might be better off watching nova or scientific american. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glowstick Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Why can't it be nothing? Why would that sound so impossible? How does it violate physics laws? Also, quantum mechanics will care about it, by giving that "empty" space a probability of being in use by some particle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Carlton Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 (edited) energy holds the particles together, strong and weak magnetic forces, and their associated particles such as gluons and gravions (theoretical) energy is what fills the space, and what the particles are made of. Edited May 2, 2005 by jester1983 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axon Posted May 2, 2005 Author Share Posted May 2, 2005 Heh, don't mistake the bolded font on "It can't be nothing" for fact, its more of a frustrated rant connotation on it. Everytime we've said there was nothing there, we split, bashed, and blew up smaller pieces only to even smaller pieces come squirting out. Does anyone think it could be a 'realm' per say of pure energy? -Ax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin-uk Veteran Posted May 2, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 2, 2005 "Stuff". (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan420 Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 stuff sounds good to me..LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MateoGWJ Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Heh, don't mistake the bolded font on "It can't be nothing" for fact, its more of a frustrated rant connotation on it.Everytime we've said there was nothing there, we split, bashed, and blew up smaller pieces only to even smaller pieces come squirting out. Does anyone think it could be a 'realm' per say of pure energy? -Ax 585861160[/snapback] Well, since the particles themselves are in flux, being made up of further quantum particles, it's actually easier to say that it's all energy, except for the fact that that realm is the basis of actual matter. It's like someone coming up to a zen monk with a bucket, and asking the monk, "Master, is this bucket matter or energy?" Now, from the physics standpoint, the correct answer is "Yes." Although, the zen monk may say that the bucket just is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axon Posted May 2, 2005 Author Share Posted May 2, 2005 Thats a great analogy! Any other ideas? -Ax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remix17 Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Strings ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 what do you think space is made up of, sure a few atoms, but mostly NOTHING Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G4M3R Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I read about this once, they talked about "quantum foam" or something like that. But then I could be wrong :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 what do you think space is made up of, sure a few atoms, but mostly NOTHING 585863407[/snapback] wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemania Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 wrong 585866566[/snapback] debatable, http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/press_re...gy_3-16-05.html what do you think space is made up of, sure a few atoms, but mostly NOTHING Nothingness takes a whole new meaning when the principle of uncertaintity is introduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristotle-dude Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 On a related note, you should check out the movie "What The Bleep Do We Know?" It deals with quantum physics. 585860826[/snapback] That's more of an infomercial on new age mysticism than anything else. It's like some video brochure of that Scientology crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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