Recent content by santhony

This thread is intended for serious consideration, not for people who have no questions about what some teacher or college professor told them. I once considered myself a Christian, believing what was passed down to me, from both my parents and my church. Then, I started having unanswered...

Then, why is a "vacuum" defined as the absence of matter but not of energy?

If the law of conservation of mass states, in a closed system mass is never lost, how is it, when matter is annihilated, effectively creating photons (which are not considered to be matter) does this law stand true?

Thanks to everyone who contributed to answering my question, "Do atoms exist in a vacuum?" I can see, now, using the standard definition of "vacuum", that, they do exist. In fact, they are in more places than I previously imagined. However, my last question, for future reference, is, does a...

For one thing I don't believe my question is straying away from my original topic of a vacuum. I believe it's going to the very heart of it. Sorry, but I find it hard to except something just because an authority says it's so, especially if it doesn't seem to be consistent, and hopefully you...

I'm not even going to begin to say, I know much about physics. Just, that, I have an interest in learning. So, please, excuse my ignorance. If elementary particles take up no space, seeing all matter is made of elementary particles, wouldn't it go to reason, we would take up no space, either? In...

I agree, that is the physical definition of a "vacuum". But, being void of matter doesn't mean being void of everything. The point, that, I was trying to make was, if you were to ask the average person on the street to define a "vacuum", for the most part, it would be defined as empty space or...

It is my understanding, and maybe I'm wrong, that, between the nucleus of an atom and its electrons exists a "vacuum", as it's defined.

Well, seeing an atom or anything, for that matter, could not be logically held together by a vacuum, it would seem the definition for "vacuum" is merely a product of arbitration.

So, between the subatomic particles exists empty space?

But, in a solid, aren't the atoms bonded together?

Is there no space surrounding atoms? I was told by someone, who says he has a Bachelor's Degree in Physics, "the spaces between atoms -- even in a solid -- contain nothing but empty space. So there's lots of vacuum all over the place." Is this true?

No. Honestly, I'm referring to the space surrounding an atom.

So, in saying, a "perfect vacuum" is defined as having no matter, is the space around atoms void of matter? And, if so, would that mean atoms exist in a vacuum?

As I said before, physics is not my expertise. But, I do find it fascinating. I am aware of the fact, that, all electromagnetic radiation is light vibrating at various frequencies; so, it would make sense to say all electromagnetic radiation shares a constant speed. So, I guess my question, in...