Lavoisier's Law of conservation of mass

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the concept of mass and energy conservation in the context of time travel, specifically referencing the quote "Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme," which translates to "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed." This principle, often associated with the laws of thermodynamics, suggests that mass and energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. Participants highlight that conservation laws apply to isolated systems, and time travel introduces complexities since such systems can interact with external factors. The idea that time machines must adhere to conservation laws raises intriguing narrative possibilities, particularly if they must transport conserved quantities equally in both directions. Incorporating the second law of thermodynamics could further complicate the story, adding depth to the exploration of time travel's implications.
JGHunter
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Hi, I'm writing a short story which addresses an issue in time travel that I don't really see getting addressed, and I was wondering where I could find the original quote where it is written that mass or energy can neither be created nor destroyed? I'm aware the original won't be in English, I'll provide a translation underneath, but it will preface the story.
 
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Thank you! Which Wikipedia page did you find this on by the way?
 
One about a 400 year old chem textbook ; hang on... here.
 
JGHunter said:
I'm writing a short story which addresses an issue in time travel that I don't really see getting addressed, and I was wondering where I could find the original quote where it is written that mass or energy can neither be created nor destroyed?

Keep in mind that conservation laws are limited to isolated systems and a system that can be left or entered (e.g. with a time machine) is not really isolated. If you just define that time machines must comply with conservation laws than they need to transport all involved conserved quantities in equal amounts in both directions. That would be a strong limitation that could be quite interesting for the story. Including the second law of thermodynamics would make it even more challenging.
 
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