2006-07-09 11:49:48 · 5 answers · asked by carpediem3000 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. However, you can convert matter into energy and back, however, you wouldn't call that creating or destroying matter.
2006-07-09 12:49:19 · answer #1 · answered by Science_Guy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Matter is being created and destroyed now. For example, a high energy X-ray can collide with the nucleus of an atom and disappear and two particles, an electron and an anti-electron (a.k.a. positron), will appear in its place. So extra matter is being produced from no matter. The important thing is that the amount of total energy stays the same, but the energy can change its form from electromagnetic radiation (the X-ray) to matter (the electron and positron). Also, an electron and positron can collide with and annihilate each other, producing X-rays.
2006-07-09 18:55:24 · answer #2 · answered by lester2590 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, matter is continually being destroyed in nuclear reactions in power plants and the sun. That's where their energy comes from.
It is possible to create matter, that's what happens in cyclotrons when they collide subatomic particles. That's why the particles must be accelerated to a significant fraction of the speed of light. Some of the kinetic energy is transferred to matter when two particles collide.
2006-07-09 18:59:24 · answer #3 · answered by SPLATT 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm pretty sure there's a law that says that matter can't be created or destroyed, only changed. Or something like that.
2006-07-09 18:53:25 · answer #4 · answered by MrMarblesTI 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it can be neither created nor destroyed.....
2006-07-09 18:53:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋