Don't bite my head off here right away, I'm only a high school

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of space, particularly in the context of whether it can be considered "nothing" and what constitutes the "stuff" that occupies space. Participants explore concepts related to the vacuum of space, the Big Bang, and the presence of fields and particles within that space. The scope includes conceptual exploration and technical clarification.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the existence of "nothing" in space, suggesting that if space exists, something must be creating it, possibly through the presence of matter.
  • Another participant asserts that space was created by the Big Bang and is not truly empty, as it contains fields and particles.
  • A later reply emphasizes that space is filled with cosmic dust and elements, challenging the notion of space as a true vacuum.
  • Further discussion raises the idea that even the distances between atoms in space must be occupied by something, questioning what creates that space.
  • Participants mention electromagnetic, gravitational fields, and virtual particles as components of space, but there is a call for deeper understanding of what these consist of.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of space, with some arguing it is not empty and others questioning what occupies the distances within it. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing views present.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in understanding the definitions of fields and particles, as well as the assumptions regarding the nature of vacuum and space. Participants express uncertainty about the fundamental constituents of these concepts.

escogido
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Don't bite my head off here right away, I'm only a high school student. I was thinking about the vacuum of space, and to me it just seems odd that there's nothing there. If there was really nothing there, would it really exist? Absolute zero does not exist, there's no space, time or anything else for that matter - it's unimaginable; yet at the same time, here, we have space and dimensions. I mean, something is creating the space that is there/here all around us. I know for one that I create space by occupying it, so if I create space, wouldn't the same material create space everywhere else? But, in a much more dispersed state that we can't detect? I mean, what else is out there, known to us that can create space - the only thing I can think of is matter!? Well what if we dissolve matter to such a point where it's undetectable by any instrument, yet there's enough of it to create space, wouldn't that occupy all the space in the universe?
 
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space was created by the big bang and its not 'nothing'.

even 'empty' space has fields in it.
 


granpa said:
space was created by the big bang and its not 'nothing'.

even 'empty' space has fields in it.

Well that's exactly what I am talking about, what is occupying it? What is creating that space? I never asked how it was created, big bang or not.
 


It is often a misconception that space is a vacuum or simply empty. Space is a nearly perfect vacuum, even better than the best ones made in labs on earth, but it is not devoid of everything. The fact is that space is filled with tiny particles called cosmic dust and elements like hydrogen and helium. This applies for interstellar space also and all the previously mention particles make up what is known as the interstellar medium.

Then there is radiation and energy fields as well
 


Mordred said:
It is often a misconception that space is a vacuum or simply empty. Space is a nearly perfect vacuum, even better than the best ones made in labs on earth, but it is not devoid of everything. The fact is that space is filled with tiny particles called cosmic dust and elements like hydrogen and helium. This applies for interstellar space also and all the previously mention particles make up what is known as the interstellar medium.

Then there is radiation and energy fields as well

okay, that's fine, that there's cosmic dust, but the distance between atoms is much greater than that of on earth, that distance between the two atoms is still occupied by something, because there's space between the two, if there was an absolute zero, that space would not exist, so what is occupying that space, rather what is creating that space? Radiation and energy fields - what are those?
 


electric magnetic and gravitational fields and virtual particles.
I suggest that you look those up
 


granpa said:
electric magnetic and gravitational fields and virtual particles.
I suggest that you look those up

I have, there's no explanation of what they are, there are descriptions of how they act, but what they consist of?
 

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