When physicists teach that matter cannot be created nor destroyed, are they just saying that?

Answer 1

Whatever physicists say, they say within the context of the observable universe. They cannot make a statement about that which exists beyond the observable universe because they have no means of observing anything beyond the universe.

Answer 2

Many middle school science teacher say that matter can not be created or destroyed, but very few physicists teach this. Matter is created and/or destroyed all the time in nuclear reactions. Energy is conserved, but mass is not. For most purposes, mass can be treated as a conserved quantity, and this assumption is only problematic when applied to situations involving either nuclear reactions or speeds approaching the speed of light. So that's why you might have been told in elementary science classes that mass is conserved, but it's actually not.

BTW, what does this have to do with religion?

Answer 3

Physicists don't exactly teach that matter IS neither created nor destroyed. It seems to pass in and out of existence constantly. It's that as a general rule, it doesn't seem to happen in large quantities.

But one of the biggest debates in physics over the past 20 years has been whether matter is actually destroyed when a black hole collapses.

Answer 4

Well, I'm outnumbered here, but I have to tell you that physicists do NOT teach that. They teach that ENERGY cannot be created or destroyed. Matter is another matter entirely (pun intended). Matter is converted to energy in every atomic reactor, thus destroyed. Matter HAS been created in reactors by scientists. Someone else said that the total of matter/energy remains the same, and that is true also.

Answer 5

As of now, we don't have the knowledge nor the technology to create or destroy matter and energy. physicists have an idea of how to do this, but they're just ideas.

I believe that it is possible to change energy into matter and vice versa, it's just that the human race is no where near at achieving this.

Answer 6

No they are pretty damn sure that that's the case, except in Special relativity, where matter is destroyed and converted totally into energy, but that just melds the Laws of conservation of Mass and Energy into one.

It is fact that matter cannot be created nor destroyed. If all matter is energy and vice versa,

Answer 7

...can't be created or destroyed in NORMAL REACTIONS. It can, however, but turned into energy (which isn't glowing stuff that cured illness etc.).

And individual virtual particles pop into existence all the time, all around us.

And in the conditions of the first instants of the Big Bang, where a Singularity was larger than its own event horizon and so uncloaked, a universe-load of matter was created as a giant burst of virtual particles.

Answer 8

It's true. Matter cannot be created or destroyed. It can change states, like water turning into a gas (steam) or a solid (ice) but you cannot create something from nothing.

Answer 9

That was once said, but with a better understanding of quantum physics, there is also a better understanding of matter...it's not really solid as we once thought.

Matter broken into its smallest particle flash in and out of existence. It is more like a pulse or a wave....more energy than solid mass.

That being said, energy can't be destroyed either.

Answer 10

well if you split the atoms then yes but that is not very smart! matter is everything and everything is matter (you dont know how many times i heard that in science this year) if matter was destroyed or created that would break the laws of life lol