RE: [asa] big bang question ... and the start of matter...

Like they say in the "expelled" movie- there is a time you have no life
and then a time you have life.

On the existence part, is there a time with no particles at all, then
you have your very first particle? Any idea what this very first
particle is? Is it one electron orbiting a neutron (hydrogen)? Sounds
like you are saying there are some theories as to how or what this first
mass might be, but they are still just competing theories at this point?

George said:
"The transition from a state of no particles to one of 2 (or of N)
particles would be discontinuous but quantum theory allows such "jumps."
"

When you say going from no particles to 1 or 2, what do you mean by
'particle' (is it an electron?).

________________________________

From: George Murphy [mailto:gmurphy@raex.com]
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 3:05 PM
To: Dehler, Bernie; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] big bang question ... and the start of matter...

Bernie -

Briefly, matter could come into existence from a state of zero energy if
its mc^2 energy plus any kinetic energy were exactly cancelled by its
negative gravitational potential energy. In the simplest case of 2
particles of mass m at a distance r, 2mc^2 - Gm^2/r = 0. In a more
general case of a homogeneous distribution of matter, this corresponds
to the spatially closed universes of Einstein's theory. The transition
from a state of no particles to one of 2 (or of N) particles would be
discontinuous but quantum theory allows such "jumps." Thus you need a
correct quantum theory of gravitation to make this work rigorously &
whether we have that or not is a matter of debate.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/

        ----- Original Message -----

        From: Dehler, Bernie <mailto:bernie.dehler@intel.com>

        To: asa@calvin.edu

        Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 5:12 PM

        Subject: [asa] big bang question ... and the start of matter...

        A question about the big bang.

        As I understand it, at the moment 'before' the big bang, there
was nothing material- not even an electron. After the big-bang, energy
started converting to matter, according to

        E=MC^2

        Question- how can this equation balance at the very start, where
M approaches 0? You have M approaches zero on the right side of the
equation, and E approaching infinity on the left, correct? C is just a
(relatively small) constant, so it can't have much of any effect. I'm
wondering how this equation works, with the left side approaching
infinity and the right approaching zero; but it is balanced...?

        I understand that the theory breaks down as you get closer to
the start of the big bang- any idea how close you can get to the big
bang before breaks-how many atoms exist?

        The "expelled" movie makes a big deal of science not knowing how
life came from non-life. I wonder also about atoms coming from no
matter-at one point there is no matter, then at another you've got
electrons orbiting a nucleus.

        If you can explain, please keep it short- to a few paragraphs.

        ...Bernie

        "It's turtles all the way down!"

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Received on Mon May 5 19:02:10 2008