What If I Were Able to Remove All Matter From the Universe?

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    Matter Universe
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a hypothetical scenario where all matter in the universe is removed. Participants explore the implications of such an event on the nature of space-time and the applicability of physical laws in this context.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that if all matter were to magically disappear, questions arise about whether the resulting "nothing" is still considered "something" and if space-time would still exist.
  • Another participant asserts that science cannot address magical scenarios, implying that the premise is outside the realm of scientific inquiry.
  • A different participant challenges the initial premise, arguing that the removal of all matter would violate established physical laws and that physics cannot be applied to such a situation.
  • One participant expresses confusion about the point of the discussion, indicating a lack of clarity on the underlying question being posed.
  • A later reply reiterates that the premise makes physics moot, suggesting that the discussion should be closed due to its speculative nature.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the validity of the hypothetical scenario, with some arguing that it is a meaningful question while others contend that it is fundamentally flawed and outside the scope of physics.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in addressing hypothetical scenarios that contradict established physical principles, as well as the dependence on definitions of "nothing" and "space-time."

Strong Eagle
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All of it. I make it magically disappear... I'm god, I guess.

When I remove all the matter, is there anything left? Is the nothing used to be occupied by all that matter "something"? Is the space-time sans matter, still space-time?
 
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I'm afraid science has nothing to say about magic.
 
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I believe you miss the point.
 
So what is the point then?
The Universe does have matter. and acceptable theories describe how it behaves.
 
Last edited:
Strong Eagle said:
I believe you miss the point.
I believe you miss V50's point. You cannot just make the matter disappear, it would violatewhat we know about how the world behaves and the description we have of it. You then want to know what physics has to say about this situation, which is asking what physics says about a situation where it is not applicable.

Since the premise of the question makes physics moot, I am closing this thread.
 

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