SciContest! Why can't matter be made of photons?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Steve100 said:
If two particles with the same mass are made of photons, they must be made of the same amount of photons.
This would make the 2 particles have identical properties, and we already know that we can have particles with different properties and the same mass.
Therefore the particles cannot be made of photons.

mass = relativistic mass
Click to expand...

Ok, entry 3, steve100.

An example of what steve100 is talking about is an electron and a positron. Is this correct?
 
QuarkHead said:
A physicist (mad as a hatter)
Once pondered the nature of matter.
He concluded "it's light";
But we know that's not right,
Since the absence of forces
Would take less than two horses
To cause all matter to shatter.
Click to expand...

Entry 4:

QuarkHead with a brilliantly crafted limerick.
 
Reiku said:
In fact, not only have scientists made matter out of photons, but you also know that all matter with rest mass when encountering their antipartner reduces them back into photon energy. The process surely cannot be disputable.
Click to expand...

Just because matter can be made by colliding photons doesn't mean that matter is made out of photons.

Electron and positron can annihilate into photons. This would have been all the "proof" you needed :)
 
BenTheMan; I once offered $15000 for the proof you're asking for here. I kept that offer published in Discover for two years. All entries were peer reviewed by Physicists. There was no winner.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm holding SciForums to much less exacting standards. The goal here is to get people to think about this.
 
diode-man said:
Ultimately however, like electricity, we can only know what a photon DOES and not what constructs it, it is I believe, what I'm going to term a "base unit" of the Universe.
Click to expand...
BenTheMan; this looks like diode-man is coming to realize that the photon is the basic building block of all reality. Did I miss something ??
 
BenTheMan said:
Well, I'm holding SciForums to much less exacting standards. The goal here is to get people to think about this.
Click to expand...
Hope you don't give in to easily then :) It is a very fundamental question that deserves much consideration. Because, if it is true that all of the universe is a photon construct, Quantum Mechanics will have to evolve into more of a field theory. But I'm sure that is not impossible.
 
BenTheMan said:
Just because matter can be made by colliding photons doesn't mean that matter is made out of photons.

Electron and positron can annihilate into photons. This would have been all the "proof" you needed :)
Click to expand...

I'd disagree. So would the paper i provided.
 
Cyperium said:
Why can't mass be made of photons?

Photons are the result of the energy released when mass converts or when something of higher energy enters a lower state (then the energy difference is released as photons to preserve the energy total)

So photons preserves the energy, so then there is no need for preservation in the form of photons, if the energy is already preserved in mass.

You can convert photons to mass, or mass to photons. But photons cannot be mass.
Click to expand...

Cyperium, Entry 6.

I'm a bit confused. It seems to me that this doesn't prove that matter is NOT made of photons. It IS true that radiated energy comes in the form of photons. But I'm not sure if you've proved that photons can't also comprise matter.
 
Vern said:
Hope you don't give in to easily then :) It is a very fundamental question that deserves much consideration. Because, if it is true that all of the universe is a photon construct, Quantum Mechanics will have to evolve into more of a field theory. But I'm sure that is not impossible.
Click to expand...

Look Vern---the actual answer is that we don't know, but there's no evidence for it. Conversely, there's plenty of evidence to the contrary. And a few of the entries so far have hit on some of the points on my list.
 
BenTheMan said:
Touche!
Click to expand...

''Look Vern---the actual answer is that we don't know, but there's no evidence for it.''

Really> Are you reading the same stuff as we posted? How about my arguements, and the paper i posted>>>

''Touche!''

I think she meant this in a good sense.
 
Steve100 said:
If two particles with the same mass are made of photons, they must be made of the same amount of photons.
This would make the 2 particles have identical properties, and we already know that we can have particles with different properties and the same mass.
Therefore the particles cannot be made of photons.
Click to expand...
This does not logically hold. If two particles with the same mass --- does not mean they must be made of the same amount of photons. We have shown very well how particles might be made of photons. It is a SWAG, but it shows your logic lacking here.
 
From this point forward I will be deleting all posts that attempt to tell me that I am wrong, and matter actually IS made of photons.

apologies to Vern and Reiku.
 
But, of course, I DO invite Vern to (attempt to) shoot down the answers that are here.
 
BenTheMan said:
Look Vern---the actual answer is that we don't know, but there's no evidence for it. Conversely, there's plenty of evidence to the contrary. And a few of the entries so far have hit on some of the points on my list.
Click to expand...
True that we don't know; but I think you have the evidence reversed. There's plenty of evidence supporting, none I've seen so far, refuting.

Am I missing something??
 
BenTheMan said:
From this point forward I will be deleting all posts that attempt to tell me that I am wrong
Click to expand...
Exactly the way things should work in a dictatorship. Way to go BenTheMan.
 
BenTheMan said:
But, of course, I DO invite Vern to (attempt to) shoot down the answers that are here.
Click to expand...

How can I respond if you're going to delete my posts ??
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top