Mass and Matter

Energy makes up Matter, and how much Matter is Mass.

As you can see in the chemistry section, matter is made up of atoms, and atoms are the smallest part of any given element. Atoms cannot be divided and still retain the properties of that element. The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom determines that elements properties, and should that number change, so will the properties of the element. See also "nuclear decay." Atomic particles (protons, neutrons, and electrons) are also made up of smaller segments that are separate from characteristics of the elements. These in turn, may be made up of even smaller particles, which are made out of pure energy. Or so we think.

When elements combine, they form compounds, which will have different properties that either of the parent elements. Take Sodium and Chlorine for example. When a reactive metal combines with a halogen, in this case the chlorine, they form a salt. These two form table salt.

Matter is a grouping of atoms or compounds that takes up space. Mass is the amount of matter in that space. Volume and mass make up density. Density is how much matter is crammed into that space. An example would be a pitcher of grape juice compared to a pitcher of water. Since the grape juice has more "stuff" in it, like sugar, it is more dense than the water. Therefore if you compared the mass of each, the grape juice would have the larger mass and the greater density. Likewise a given volume of lead would be more dense, and have more mass than the same volume of a lighter element such as carbon.

Compounds are held together with atomic bonds. These bonds, either ionic or covalent, are formed with the input of energy, which will stay in the bond until that bond is broken and the energy is released. An example would be the burning of coal. The carbon was fixed into solid form by photosynthetic plants that eons ago, but that energy (sunlight that formed the bonds) remains there until the coal is burned an it is released. Thus, the electricity that you use today, produced by the release of the energy from the coal, was sunlight that was used to make bonds something like 265,000,000 years ago.

So mass contains energy. A lot of it. Einstein worked out the formula for determining exactly how much. His equation of E=MC2 denotes this trapped energy. Energy is equivalent to the mass times the speed of light squared. Let's look at an example of this.

We will pretend that your mom has a mass of 50 kilograms. So, if we multiply that by the speed of light squared, 8.98755179 x 10 ^16th, we get a result of 4.49378 x 10 to^18th, around 28 Kilotons, which is a LOT of energy! More, in fact, than an atomic bomb!

Scientists think that the Universe was created in a sudden release of unfathomable energy, referred to as the "Big Bang." This energy eventually collected to form atoms. Hydrogen for instance is the simplest element there is, but it is also the most common element in the Universe. A simple element with only one proton and one electron is the most basic building block of matter.

Questions to think about:

1. "You matter. Unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light squared, then you're energy." - Neil de Grasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. What does he mean by that statement?

2. How can chemical bonds trap energy for millions of years?

3. What can release the energy trapped in chemical bonds?

4. Why do we think that all matter is made from energy at a fundamental level?

5. What characteristics make us think that hydrogen is the simplest element?