Can we say that everything on the planet is made up of energy or matter?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether everything on the planet can be classified as either energy or matter, exploring the implications of modern physics on this question. Participants examine definitions, edge cases, and the relationship between matter and energy.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the classification of "everything" depends on definitions, suggesting that phenomena like shadows may not fit neatly into either category.
  • One participant asserts that, as a matter of principle, all familiar phenomena can be explained within a model where Earth is made of matter, with energy being a property of that matter.
  • Another participant clarifies that matter and energy are distinct categories, with energy being a property of matter and other entities, challenging the assumption that mass and matter are synonymous.
  • A participant introduces the concept of "edge cases," such as the cosmological constant and dark energy, questioning whether these could be considered forms of energy despite lacking direct particle representation.
  • Dark matter is mentioned as another example that raises questions about classification, as its existence is inferred from galactic rotation curves rather than direct observation.
  • A light-hearted comment references the nature of matter, suggesting a philosophical perspective on the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the classification of phenomena as energy or matter, with no consensus reached on the broader implications of these classifications or the existence of edge cases.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in definitions and the challenges of categorizing certain phenomena, such as dark energy and dark matter, which complicate the discussion.

EVANDRUH
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According to what we can verify and experience among the various questions of modern physics, can we somehow affirm that everything on the planet is made up of energy or matter? Can it somehow be partially affirmed, always aiming at the explanations of modern physics studied until then?
 
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You should use more explicit titles. Hopefully a mentor will fix that. [Title fixed by the Mentors]
can we somehow affirm that everything on the planet is made up of energy or matter?
Kind of depends on what you mean by everything. I mean a shadow is neither. Maybe you mean that every physical phenomena can be explained with matter and energy flows? Sure.
 
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EVANDRUH said:
Can it somehow be partially affirmed,
Worth noting that the answer to this is "no", as a matter of principle. @pines-demon puts it well: all phenomena we are familiar with are explicable in a model where the Earth is made of matter, of which energy is one property. That doesn't necessarily mean it's true, but given the high precision and wide range of modern experiment, it does mean that the gaps where anything else could hide are very, very small.
 
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Matter and energy are in entirely different categories. Matter is present naturally. Energy is a property of matter. It's also a property many other things.

You may be thinking that mass and matter are synonymous, they are not. It was thought at one time that mass is a measure of the quantity of matter, but Einstein's mass-energy equivalence implies that is not.
 
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EVANDRUH said:
According to what we can verify and experience among the various questions of modern physics, can we somehow affirm that everything on the planet is made up of energy or matter? Can it somehow be partially affirmed, always aiming at the explanations of modern physics studied until then?

Interpreting this as a request fore "edge cases", something that we think could exist that might not fall into one of these two categories, consider the cosmological constant in General Relativity. We postulate it's existence because observations suggest the universe is expanding at an accelerated rate.

Would one consider this to be a form of "energy"? It has been called "dark energy", so perhaps the answer is yes, but it's not like we can point to some particle that produces it. "Dark Matter" has some similar issues. We think dark matter exists because of the galactic rotation curves, something that neither Newtonian theory or General relativity can explain based on observed matter. These are the two things I think of right off the top of my head - I'm not so familiar with "edge cases" in other fields.
 
The stars are matter
We're matter
But it doesn't matter

- Don van Vliet
 
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