Is Matter Really Composed of Pixels?

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The discussion centers on the claim from a Discovery Channel documentary that matter is composed of "tiny little pixels," which participants question. They clarify that the term "pixel" is likely being used metaphorically to describe elementary particles or atoms, rather than suggesting a literal similarity to computer pixels. Additionally, it is noted that while atoms were confirmed in the early 20th century, they were not newly discovered then. The analogy of pixels is criticized as a poor choice, with some expressing nostalgia for more traditional analogies like grains of sand. Overall, the conversation emphasizes skepticism about the accuracy of the claim regarding matter's composition.
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In this documentary on Discovery Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZj1kYRT-fw&feature=related

at 1:30 he talks about that it was discovered in the last century that matter is made of tiny little pixels. I was wondering if this was true? I haven't found any actual proof for this.

Are these pixels similar to computer monitor pixels?

Regards
 
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From what I can tell, he's just using 'pixel' to refer to bits of matter, elementary particles, atoms, and the like. (But I didn't listen much further.)
 
Doc Al said:
From what I can tell, he's just using 'pixel' to refer to bits of matter, elementary particles, atoms, and the like. (But I didn't listen much further.)

I don't know either, he's saying this to make the point of the possibility of we living in a computer simulation. So from that context do you know how it applies...
 
Whatever the context, we didn't discover in the last century that matter is made of tiny pixels.
I think he just tried to make an (poor) analogy with computers.

By the way, atoms were not discovered in the last century - they were proved to exist only in 1905 (Einstein did it!), but this is very different from saying Einstein "discovered" atoms.

This new computer-based generation makes me sad sometimes.
He could have made a number of analogies, but "pixels"?
How I miss the old grain of sand analogy!
 
So I know that electrons are fundamental, there's no 'material' that makes them up, it's like talking about a colour itself rather than a car or a flower. Now protons and neutrons and quarks and whatever other stuff is there fundamentally, I want someone to kind of teach me these, I have a lot of questions that books might not give the answer in the way I understand. Thanks
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