Turning Energy into Matter: Practicality Explored

In summary, this site is the only one that I have found that discusses the possibility of converting energy into matter. The experiment at Stanford is to show that matter particles can be created from energy, in order to gain a better understanding of the fundamental nature of matter. There is no suggestion that it has any practical purpose.
  • #1
wolram
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If you're thinking along the line of a Star Trek 'replicator', I doubt very much that there will ever be enough economical energy available to create matter on a macroscopic scale, let alone manipulate it into a useful form.
Run it through your 'e=mc^2' in reverse, and you'll see what's involved. You need something like 25,000,000 kWh (after efficiency losses) to create one gram of matter.
 
  • #3
wolram said:
Will it ever be (practical) to turn energy into matter? this site is the only one i have found so far------
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/exp/e144/nytimes.html
Energy is converted into matter all the time. Energy quanta carry inertia. Inertia, or mass, is the measure of the quantity of matter. Every time an atom absorbs a photon, energy is "converted" into matter.

I think what you are talking about is creating new matter particles from energy particles. The purpose of this experiment at Stanford is merely to show that matter particles can be created from energy, in order to gain a better understanding of the fundamental nature of matter. There is no suggestion that it has any practical purpose.There is no shortage of matter particles on earth. Why, on earth, would we want to use precious energy resources to produce new particles?

AM
 
  • #4
Then if matters is not in shortage, one could think about converting matters to energy (temporary) and then convert back this energy in "another" kind of matters...
 
  • #5
Energy to Matter makes sense

15 billions years ago our universe creates great amount of masses from enormous energy to us. Now, although we are in no shortage of mass, does that mean we should drop the idea of creating masses on our own hands?

Masses are abundant but not all precious. Many wastes are produced along with large amount of heat and light. Just imagine, if we can store the energy (such as unuserable heat and light) in a "package" of mass, and then reuse or unwrap the package to gain useable energy, that will be too great.

On my personal note, the nature and essence of our destination in the world of universe is to understand the process of energy to mass and mass to energy as well. This is the universal theme hidden in darkside of the power. It is miracle.

Einstein is famous for the law "E=m*c2", however is there a equation of somewhat "M=e/(c2)" and what does that mean?
 
  • #6
Your equation, M = E/(c^2) is the expression for relativistic mass. For more information see our FAQ.
 

What is the concept of turning energy into matter?

The concept of turning energy into matter is based on the famous equation, E=mc², which states that energy and matter are interchangeable. This means that under certain conditions, energy can be converted into matter and vice versa.

How is energy turned into matter?

Energy can be turned into matter through a process called pair production. This occurs when high-energy photons (particles of light) interact with each other and produce an electron and a positron (the antimatter counterpart of an electron).

What is the practical application of turning energy into matter?

The practical application of turning energy into matter is still being explored, but it has potential applications in fields such as nuclear energy and particle accelerators. It could also potentially be used to create new materials and fuels.

Is it possible to turn matter back into energy?

Yes, it is possible to turn matter back into energy through a process called annihilation. This occurs when a particle and its corresponding antiparticle collide and are converted into pure energy.

What challenges are involved in turning energy into matter?

One of the main challenges in turning energy into matter is the high energy requirements. It takes a significant amount of energy to produce even a small amount of matter. Additionally, controlling and harnessing this process is still a complex and ongoing challenge for scientists.

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