What can you surmise about the Universe given The Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy?

Question

Conservation of Matter and Energy

When a piece of copper metal is heated in air, it comes together with oxygen in the air. Then if it is weighed, it is found to have a greater mass that the original piece of metal. If however the mass of the oxygen of the air that combines with the metal is taken into consideration, it can be shown that the mass of the product is within the limits of accuracy of any weighing instrument, equal to the sum of the masses of the copper and oxygen that combine. This behavior of matter is in accord with what is called the Law of Conservation of Matter: During an ordinary chemical change, there is no detectable increase or decrease in the quantity of matter.

Conversion of one type of matter into another are always accompanied by the conversion of one form of energy into another. Usually heat is leveled or absorbed, but sometimes the conversion involves light or electrical energy instead of, or in addition to heat. Many transformations of energy, of course, do not involve chemical changes. Electrical energy can be changed into either mechanical, light, heat or potential energy without chemical changes. Mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy in a generator. Potential and kinetic energy can be converted into one another. Many other conversions are possible, but all of the energy involved in any change always appears in some form after the change is completed.

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can change its form.

The total quantity of matter and energy available in the universe is a fixed amount and never any more or less.

Answer 1

Thanks for that refresher.
Since energy and mass are related by Einstein's equation E=Mc2
it's conservation of energy that's the more funadmental property of the universe.
Entropy describes the way energy is dispersed in a physical system. When matter is created entropy is reduced but the total entropy of the universe is always increasing. What this means is that the univese is evolving towards greater dispersal of energy (degeneracy) and super symmetry. I believe the human mind is outside the physical universe and that we are fighting against this tendancy towards degeneracy! We are fighting against degeneracy and death.

Answer 2

If you're going for rigid proof, just about every law in science has gaps. The logic flows well enough until you get to a certain point, where you have to make assumptions which must be accepted by faith. As I see it, scientific theory is like peer pressure. What constitutes theory is what the majority of scientists in a field accepts to be the most plausible explanation of a phenonomon at a given time, because it has not been disproven yet. Of course they assure you that true theories are "falsifiable" meaning that it's open for someone to disprove it in the future, or for someone to come up with something "better". And those scientists who have not come on stream yet are vilified, "You don't believe this new theory? You are so not cool. You cannot hang out with us." Some theories have been tried and tested, others have not. Many scientific beliefs of the past have been debunct. There is a difference between scientific theory and truth. We would like to believe that over time, theory tends asymptotically to truth. However according to the first law of Dr D, contemporary philosophy drives science, not the other way around. Thus science is more likely to tend to philosophy. But let me not say anymore before the other scientists beat me up after school.

Answer 3

Wow, that is great.....ummmm, why is this in the relgious section? I figured you were going to make some relgious point but you never did. This is a science question. A very broad question at that. Also, you forgot to mention that matter and energy are interchangeable. Humans can change matter to energy. The sun changes matter to energy. I do not know of a process that changes energy to matter, however.

Answer 4

Not sure why you asked this in this section but the thing most people are not aware of is that Gravitational Potential Energy is negative. During the period of rapid inflation shortly after the big bang both positive mass/energy was produced in equal but opposite amounts with the gravitational potential energy resulting from the inflation. Likely total mass/energy when taking gravitational potential energy into consideraton is zero.

Answer 5

Wow! What a whopper of a question....you should read "Evidence for Christianity: by Josh McDowell" and ALSO, check out this: http://www.livingwaters.com/various/science/

That link is quite exhaustive likewise, and darn it....I LOVE IT! Check it out, you may find something close to what you were asking!~
God Bless!~ AND have a GREAT DAY!~~

Answer 6

Yup 19th Century physics, welcome to the 21st Century, you have a lot of reading to do.