Category Archives: Physics

Q: How is matter created? Can we create new matter and would that be useful?

Physicist: This was an interesting back-and-forth, so the original questions are italicized. What was the energy at the start of the universe and how did it create matter? If the question is “how much?” or “where did it come from?”, … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Engineering, Particle Physics, Physics | 149 Comments

Q: How hot can a greenhouse get?

Physicist: A greenhouse is a little like a “light pump” that works because of the picky transparency of glass. The hotter something is, the shorter the wavelength of the light it radiates (it glows bluer).  The heat you feel from … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Engineering, Physics | 10 Comments

Q: If the universe gets split in the Many Worlds Interpretation, then why aren’t all probabilities 50/50? Does stuff get spread thinner and thinner with each split?

The original question from “A” was: I’m reading Sean Carroll’s book Something Deeply Hidden, which is entirely about Many Worlds, and I’m following along for the most part, but there’s something I still don’t understand. […] Carroll considers an example … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Paranoia, Philosophical, Physics, Quantum Theory, Skepticism | 12 Comments

Q: Asteroid mining. Why?

Physicist: Why bother going out to mine asteroids?  Why not stay home?  The answer is a little grim.  Consider Easter Island, or Iceland, or England; each are isolated places that were once covered in vast forests with abundant animal life … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Engineering, Physics | 18 Comments

Q: Is getting plasma really hot the only way to initiate fusion?

Physicist: No.  But for all practical purposes, yes. “Fusion” is a pair of atoms coming together and fusing (hence the name) into a single, larger atom.  In a chemical bond, like hydrogen and oxygen linking up to form water, the … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Particle Physics, Physics | 4 Comments

Q: How likely is it that there’s dark matter in me right now?

Physicist: Probably very likely!  Probably! When we look out into the universe we find that on galactic scales and up that most of the mass in the universe is “dark”.  Based on how galaxies form, move, collide, and bend light … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Paranoia, Particle Physics, Physics, Probability | 8 Comments