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Is matter infinitely divisible or not ?

what do you think and what is your general philosophical/theological background ? curious if religious people have a different opinion about this
BlueVeins · 22-25
No, because if you break it up too much, it becomes energy. To my understanding, energy is not considered to be infinitely divisible under our current understanding of physics, but that might be just that we haven't discovered divisions below a certain size. If I had to guess, I would probably say that energy is not infinitely divisible, but I do not know.
Matt85 · 36-40, M
Logically speaking its possible 🤯
RenFur · 70-79, M
Is this kind of like saying the increasing number of equal-length sides a geometric figure gains as it "evolves" (starting as a triangle which then becomes a square then a regular pentagon... on and on until, FINALLY, it becomes a circle) is the final outcome of reaching the most minute matter?
RenFur · 70-79, M
@JimboSaturn

That is some long link! LOL

I have it, J... I starred it for a quick look-see. It has animation as well as dialogue with top cosmologists and the like, right?
JimboSaturn · 51-55, M
@RenFur yes precisely that's it
RenFur · 70-79, M
@JimboSaturn

Update: I'm 13 minutes in and it's refreshing to hear that all these really smart people are amazed how impossibly weird infinity is! The one guy says infinity plus 1 is infinity as well as infinity minus 1 is infinity... on and on... LOL. Oh yeah, infinity plus infinity equals infinity...

Think on this: point at the sky. Pretend that from your pointing finger a laser beam of light shoots out. Now, move your whole arm (with finger attached of course) and imagine how far out in space that very powerful beam of light would reach the speed of light before it would start to resist traveling that imaginary arc.
DrWatson · 70-79, M
I know that what was once thought of as indivisible, like an proton, is now regarded as divisible into quarks.

I find it hard to imagine that subatomic particles, even if they can be broken down further, can be infinitely divisible. In fact, i wonder if quantum uncertainty would play a role: would we ever know for sure that the particle had divided? ( I have only an informal acquaintance with quantum mechanics, so what I just said might be nonsense!)

But if they could be infinitely divided, that would actually be pretty wild!

Then there is another possibility, that a physicist friend likes to remind me of. Namely, all of particle physics might be nothing more than an elegant mathematical model that explains observed phenomena very well, but it might not be literal reality at all. In face, he would say that about physics in general. He is prone to utter things like, "When you ask what 'really' happens, I have no idea what you mean!" Needless to say, he is a [i]theoretical[/i] physicist!

(My background: I am Christian, but I don't see the relevance of that to this discussion.)
MoonMoon · F
@DrWatson its not relevant, its just personal curiossity... other antinomies people seem to have a religious dogma of some kind but since this is without any consequcnes to a religion i am curious how people think about it
DrWatson · 70-79, M
@MoonMoon I suppose for some people, their religious views would affect how they think of this question. I only meant that for me, I don't see a connection. I think it is an interesting question! 😄
wildbill83 · 36-40, M
subatomic division violates several laws of physics like entropy & thermodynamics... 🤔
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
I think there is a limit. There are elementary particles and discrete quantum states.
Matt85 · 36-40, M
@JoyfulSilence but could you divide those subatomic particles?
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
@Matt85

I think not, under the current theory.

No, matter is not infinitely divisible. Molecules and atoms are the smallest units of the substances we are familiar with; quarks are the smallest units that make up the particles of which atoms are composed.

We can detect if particles have smaller subunits by smashing them together and seeing what scatters and how. Electrons behave like perfect point particles; protons don't. But the quark constituents of protons do.
JimboSaturn · 51-55, M
This probably doesn't make sense but I think as they keep on dividing particles into smaller states, the idea of dividing further will be irrelevant; they will cease to be particles or even matter as we know it at all.
Since you aren't really defining matter, I'll assume on the particle level, don't they divide constant? So if they do, doesn't that make them divisible? I guess we get to find out, don't we? We are all particles, how long can they divide?
wildbill83 · 36-40, M
no, subatomic particles cannot be divided; they only create new particles in subatomic annihilations; and in greater quantities, undergo nuclear transmutation (matter to energy, energy to matter conversion)
wildbill83 · 36-40, M
also, science & religion aren't mutually exclusive and those who treat them as such usually fall into a dogma of trying to disprove one by giving prominence to the other, and as a result lose the whole purpose and meaning in understanding the world around us.
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vetguy1991 · 51-55, M
I think you can get to a zero poin
Ontheroad · M
Matter has structure, even a quark has structure, and a structure is divisible... we can't at the moment say there is a point where matter can no longer be divisible.

My thought is that even that could change if we discover there is another universe(s).
It cant be created or destroyed right? So its gota go somewhere
Nitedoc · 51-55, M
@TryingtoLava It doesn't go anywhere. It changes form.
@Nitedoc ooo i c
Nitedoc · 51-55, M
Impressive question. BlueVeins and wildbill83 nailed it!

 
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