Why are sunlight and gravity not considered matter?

Answer 1

Well sunlight is a form of electromagnetic radiation made up of photons (a photon is an elementary particle with zero mass and travels at the speed of light).

Gravity is actually a property of matter. Although gravity is one of the most observed properties of matter, it is also the least understood.

Answer 2

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You do realise that there are already holes in the ozone layer? I don't see the sun burning things to a crisp through those. Although obviously the lack of an ozone would have a VERY negative impact, I think this is a bi far-fetched. Not to mention it'd happen very gradually, with the earth's exposure to direct sunlight increasing every year. It certainly wouldn't be a sudden change, and scientists would probably think of some way to deflect the intense rays before it disintegrates entirely. I think it'd be more interesting if you wrote about the sun's death. It's something that's inevitable, and we as a species would have no way of avoiding it, or even lessening the impact. Due to the sun's mass (which isn't really that spectacular when compared to other stars in the universe) when it begins to die, it will first swell into a Red Giant. This is obviously going to increase both the heat, and the UV rays that penetrate through the ozone layer. The swelling of our sun will take some time, and of course it will eventually swell so much that our planet will cease to exist entirely. I think it'd be more interesting if your novel centered around a time when our sun is still swelling, and its effects are starting to become more and more prominent on the earth's surface. Then perhaps your plot-line can involve desperately trying to involve some form of space travel which would enable humans to migrate to another planet. Maybe somewhere like Gliese 581 G... (I kind of assumed you're writing way, way into the future). OKAY I'VE GONE OFF ON A COMPLETE TANGENT. My idea is probably way less believable than yours, considering our sun won't start to die for another... Oh I don't know, few billion years or so. I went all space nerd, and I apologise for that. Back to your question. I just don't think that the loss of the ozone layer would have that much of an impact (solar radiation wise). Life began on this planet long before the ozone layer even formed, and it is actually the result of the evolution of plants that earth has an oxygen atmosphere at all, which eventually turned into the ozone due to exposure to light. Obviously without the ozone layer, solar radiation would be sharply augmented, but not to the point that it completely incinerates everything. Basically, as long as there are plants, whether or not the ozone layer can actually disappear is debatable. And of course all of these things are merely speculation, and we as humans couldn't possibly know what would happen if the ozone layer WERE to vanish. -_- I'm doing it again aren't I. Doing the tangent thing. I'm going to... Stop. Basically what I'm trying to say is that it's all up to you. You do have an artistic license after all. Just sayin'. P.S: I should probably mention that without an ozone layer, earth wouldn't have an atmosphere. And without an atmosphere, there'd be no oxygen or gravity whatsoever.

Answer 3

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RE:
Why are sunlight and gravity not considered matter?

Answer 4

Gravity is a force. If it was an energy, then it could be considered matter since one is equivalent to the other, but that's not the case. Photons are matter, so sunlight is matter, but it's also a wave.

Answer 5

Is Sunlight Matter

Answer 6

According the the special and general relativity theories, sunlight and gravity are not both the same as matter though sunlight and matter can be considered to be equivalent to each other.

Matter and energy are equivalent - E=mc^2

For the sake of discussion, lets call energy (such as electromagnetic radiation in this case - like sunlight) one form of mattergy and matter another form or mattergy.

Sunlight is mattergy, it is produced due the the small conversion of matter to energy through nuclear fusion happening inside the Sun.

Gravity, according to Einstein anyway is not energy because according to general relativity, gravity is not a force but is the effect 'mattergy' feels when in the presence of sufficient quantities of matter. The difference in how much mattergy's path is effected by this effect is dependent on its speed. Light being fast and moving at a constant speed is effected in two ways - wavelength and direction. Matter is effected in other ways, relative time, relative length, relative mass and direction.

Light (without mass) and matter (with mass) respond to the bends in space produced by the presence of matter. This response seems to be a force, but according to Einstein, it isn't a force at all; gravity is simply what we call the effect warps in space-time have ON mattergy. Depending on the form of the mattergy, wavelength, time, length and/or mass may be effected, but direction is always effected. The effect on wavelength for massless energy (light) is mathemateically proportional to the effects of length, time and mass on matter.

Mattergy, regardless of its form, is just taking the 'straightest' path available through bent space-time. If mattergy doesn't fight against gravity, it would follow the bends in space-time perfectly and would feel as if it was obeying standard Newtonian laws of motion. This is how Einstein explains how gravity can effect massless light, which it does (gravitational lensing - an astronomically observed phenomenon)

After all, all forces (electrical, magnetic, strong nuclear, weak nuclear) have attractive and repulsive aspects. Only gravity has a strictly attractive aspect according to experimental (observational is different) science to date.

Maybe Einstein is wrong, but he was on to something very important non-the-less and his theories hold true and are used in every day life (gps satellites, lasers, nuclear power reactors, etc.,...)

Trippy, isn't it?

Answer 7

Light can be considered a form of matter since it has mass. Light can push electrons out of their paths so it must have mass. Gravity wouldn't exist without matter and matter has mass. But, humans like to divide,catagorize and emphasize differences so it's not considered matter even though it's inseperable from matter.

Answer 8

Matter is defined as a substance that has weight and takes up space. Light and gravity do not have weight or take up space.
Light is energy (electromagnetic radiation) Its particles, photons, are massless. Gravity is a force. Its particles, gravitons, are also massless.

Answer 9

Both are considered energy. light, heat and gravitational energy.
Energy does not fall into any the 4 description of matter hence they are not considered matter.

Answer 10

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