Law of Conservation of Mass: Big Bombs & Earth

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the Law of Conservation of Mass, particularly in the context of hypothetical scenarios involving bombs that could destroy matter or transform it into antimatter. Participants explore the implications of these scenarios on the conservation laws in physics, including whether antimatter adheres to the same principles.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that matter cannot be destroyed, only rearranged or transformed, in line with the Law of Conservation of Mass.
  • One participant questions the implications of a bomb that could turn matter into antimatter, suggesting that this might lead to the disappearance of atoms.
  • Another participant argues that conservation laws apply to antimatter as well, indicating that mass is conserved even when matter is converted to energy.
  • There is a discussion about the nature of antimatter, with some participants clarifying that it does not imply negative mass but rather a different property that leads to energy release upon contact with matter.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the existence of a bomb capable of destroying matter, emphasizing that bombs only disperse atoms rather than annihilate them.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the feasibility of a bomb that could destroy matter, with some maintaining that such a concept is impossible. There are competing views on the implications of antimatter and whether it follows the same conservation laws as matter. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the hypothetical scenarios presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference the conservation of mass and energy, but there are unresolved assumptions about the nature of antimatter and the definitions of destruction versus transformation. The discussion does not reach a consensus on the hypothetical bomb scenarios.

MRCHEM
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it is said in our book that when matter undergoes changes whether physicaly or chemically, the atoms are merely rearranged. no atom is created nor destroyed. (the law of conservation of mass)

but what if i have a big bomb that can blow up Earth and then vanish completely how can be atoms be rearranged if they are destroyed
 
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Show me a bomb that can destroy matter...:rolleyes: That's the thing right there, matter cannot be destroyed, it can only change form or be rearranged.
 
MRCHEM said:
but what if i have a big bomb that can blow up Earth and then vanish completely
Well, you don't! Bombs do not destroy atoms - they only disperse them.
 
Gokul43201 said:
Well, you don't! Bombs do not destroy atoms - they only disperse them.

oo bombs dont? interesting. disperse means separate? sory for the english :biggrin:
 
Gokul43201 said:
Well, you don't! Bombs do not destroy atoms - they only disperse them.

Exactly. =)
 
how about he has a booms that when it exploded it will make the matter become anti-matter and it means that the atoms will be vanished because we talk about conservation law only applies for matter. can you answer me that antimatter will follow the conservation law too? i am crazy to put that question on, but please have athought of it! :)
 
WARGREYMONKKTL said:
how about he has a booms that when it exploded it will make the matter become anti-matter and it means that the atoms will be vanished because we talk about conservation law only applies for matter. can you answer me that antimatter will follow the conservation law too? i am crazy to put that question on, but please have athought of it! :)
Again, do you know of such a bomb? Conservation of mass holds for anti-matter particles also.
 
Just don't forget that mass can be transformed to energy. It is not just conservation of mass, it is conservation of mass AND energy.
 
Borek said:
Just don't forget that mass can be transformed to energy. It is not just conservation of mass, it is conservation of mass AND energy.
Good catch.
 
  • #10
MRCHEM said:
it is said in our book that when matter undergoes changes whether physicaly or chemically, the atoms are merely rearranged. no atom is created nor destroyed. (the law of conservation of mass)

but what if i have a big bomb that can blow up Earth and then vanish completely how can be atoms be rearranged if they are destroyed

Okay let's pretend your bomb can blow up earth, and you are safe some where other than Earth when the bomb explodes. And Earth is shattered into bits and pieces. Your bomb is no match for Earth's gravity. Earth would just form back together. Of course it would be dramaticly altered, but indeed still there.
 
  • #11
WARGREYMONKKTL said:
how about he has a booms that when it exploded it will make the matter become anti-matter and it means that the atoms will be vanished because we talk about conservation law only applies for matter. can you answer me that antimatter will follow the conservation law too? i am crazy to put that question on, but please have athought of it! :)

Just because it is anti-matter doesn't mean it's anti mass.

It doesn't mean it negative mass, simply negative matter :P

Kind of like an electron has a charge of -1, it isn't LACKING a charge, it simply has an opposite charge of +1.

So anti-matter isn't lacking matter, it's just got a property that causes it to burst into energy at the acquantance of matter.

And that energy will be equal to E=mc^2 (plus the momentum stuff I don't want to write out).

Thus, the conservation of energy :D
 
  • #12
A year and a half old thread that isn't any less pointless today than then. Locked.
 

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