Is there not always something smaller before you get to nothing? How can you move from something to nothing without that something being able to get just a little smaller before nothing?
2006-08-28 10:19:50 · 8 answers · asked by nobodiesinc 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
A mere few decades ago, the smallest indivisible unit of matter was thought to be the atom. Then, the proton, neutron, and electron, with the electron being the smallest. Then came the quarks and mesons. Now it's superstrings, but the strings aren't necessarily 'things', but mathematical abstractions which allow one to do computations. We may never know what is the smallest particle of matter.
Distance itself is a mathematical concept. It is divisible without limit. You can talk of a meter and a centimeter and a nanometer and a googolplexth of a meter (that's a meter divided into (10 raised to the power of (10 raised to the power of 100)) parts).
2006-08-28 18:33:46 · answer #1 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The statement of the question implies the assumption of a quantum metric. Thus, if you are the smallest something bigger than nothing, there can't be anything in between because you are the smallest. It's a tautology.
There is always something smaller if you assume a continuous metric. In that case, you can't be the smallest something next to nothing and the question is meaningless.
2006-08-28 17:24:28 · answer #2 · answered by ecspert 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as size goes, even real particles such as quarks and leptons (eg. the electron) appear to be point particles with no discernible size (Diamter = 0). That's pretty small.
Making something "a little smaller" implies physical laws always allow you to do some trimming. At the smallest levels, they often do not.
2006-08-28 22:58:04 · answer #3 · answered by SAN 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something cannot exist next to nothing! Nothing is the absence of everything. What should be the boundary for something co existing by nothing?
Somethings boundary cannot be here and beyond it is nothing.
Neither can co exist on the same plane!
End of story
2006-08-28 17:31:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Matter is quantized and there is a minimum size, maybe like ten to the minus 50th part of an electron.
2006-08-28 17:53:22 · answer #5 · answered by Fredrick Carley 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
And if you invert the idea, isn't there always one more then infinity?
2006-08-28 17:23:53 · answer #6 · answered by ADF 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
even nothing is something
2006-08-28 17:22:07 · answer #7 · answered by Jun 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you are missing alot
2006-08-28 17:23:03 · answer #8 · answered by the holy divine one 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋