The discussion centers on the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. The argument presented about matter being equated with energy through Einstein's equation is invalid in the context of the first law. Matter is not conserved in the same way energy is, and the term "matter" is often misused in scientific discourse. The correct interpretation of the first law focuses on the relationship between internal energy, heat flow, and work done on or by a system.
PREREQUISITESStudents of physics, educators teaching thermodynamics, and anyone seeking to clarify misconceptions about energy and matter in scientific contexts.
You can argue that as much as you like, but it's not a statement of the first law of thermodynamics. The first law is purely relates the change in internal energy to the heat flow into/out of the system and the work done/by the system.casas1010 said:The question was : describe the first law of thermodynamics. I said matter can't be created or destroyed. I got marked wrong, my argument will be that the laws of thermodynamics can be written in different ways. Einstein famous equation relates matter and energy. There is also the matter-energy equivalent theory. Is this a valid argument? If so what else can I say?
You were correctly marked wrong. You should not argue, you should learn from your mistake and do better next time. There are times when it is good to argue a grade, but this is not one of them.casas1010 said:The question was : describe the first law of thermodynamics. I said matter can't be created or destroyed. I got marked wrong, my argument will be that the laws of thermodynamics can be written in different ways.