| Many people, who vaguely remember their school | | | | mathematics has refined and corrected Newtonian |
| physics classes, would have some trouble | | | | laws. |
| differentiating between "mass" and "matter". | | | | It is the bedrock of modern physics. Yet it also |
| Modern physics, however, is beginning to show | | | | states (and has shown experimentally) that a |
| that these two words really refer to two | | | | body can exist simultaneously in two or more |
| different physical manifestations. All matter that | | | | places; it also avers that observation not only |
| we can perceive on earth, and all the billions of | | | | marks an object but actually brings it into being: |
| stars and galaxies that we can observe in the | | | | before the observation, there was no object. |
| sky, altogether make up less than 5% of the | | | | Furthermore, under certain conditions, the result |
| contents of the universe. More than 95% consists | | | | of an action can be transmitted instantaneously to |
| of what is called "dark matter" and "dark energy", | | | | another place, no matter how far away. |
| that is to say matter and energy that is invisible. | | | | These weirdnesses in quantum mechanics will be |
| This dark matter can be detected only by its | | | | dealt with separately in another article. They |
| gravitational pull on visible matter. "Visible" matter | | | | servce as a reminder that matter is much more |
| includes not only what we see in nature around | | | | mysterious than anyone imagined during the era |
| us, but also the gases that we do not see | | | | of classical Newtonian physics, when the atom |
| directly. All this matter is atomic in structure, with | | | | was thought to be the ultimate, indivisible little bit |
| almost all its mass in the atomic nucleus, that is in | | | | of ordinary matter. What is of interest here is |
| its protons and neutrons. These two particles, plus | | | | that quantum mechanics realizes that, for all |
| some short-lived particles, are called baryons as a | | | | practical purposes, large bodies can be dealt with |
| group. Each of them consists of three quarks. | | | | according to the laws of classical physics. |
| What the invisible dark matter consists of is | | | | As these bodies get smaller and smaller, down to |
| unknown. Physicists, however, are reasonably | | | | molecules and then atoms, the weird effects |
| certain that by far the greater proportion of it | | | | increase, because such particles can easily be put |
| must consist of non-baryonic particles, that is of | | | | into a wave form, which is the necessary |
| matter which does not have an atomic structure. | | | | preliminary to being in a "superposition state", |
| Speculation centers around the concept of a gas | | | | where such a particle can exist in two places at |
| of weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPS. | | | | the same time. |
| These particles are purely hypothetical at the | | | | Down to and including the atom, however, matter |
| moment. If they are ever discovered, the | | | | particles are still well defined in space. With a |
| presently used Standard Model of particle physics | | | | modern scanning tunneling microscope (STM), we |
| would have to be extended to include them. | | | | can not only see individual atoms, but we can pick |
| So it seems that "dark matter" has mass, | | | | them up and move them around. The situation |
| because it exerts gravitational pull, but not what | | | | gets much more difficult with subatomic particles, |
| we commonly call matter, which has an atomic | | | | which Heisenberg called "potentialities" or |
| structure. This atomic matter, which not too long | | | | "probabilities", rather than well-defined realities. |
| ago was thought to represent the entire | | | | At the beginning of the modern age of physics, in |
| structure of the universe, is now found to be a | | | | the 1920s, when it became obvious that |
| somewhat rare (less than 5% of the total) | | | | subatomic particles were not simply very small |
| combination of mass and forces which work | | | | bits of matter, Bertrand Russell grumped in his |
| together to form an atom, that is the basic | | | | Outline of Philosophy that, "For ought we know an |
| building block of all matter. The forces involved | | | | atom may consist entirely of the radiations that |
| here are primarily the strong nuclear force, which | | | | come out of it. It is useless to argue that |
| holds the quarks together in the protons and | | | | radiations cannot come out of nothing .... The idea |
| neutrons, and also holds the protons and neutrons | | | | that there is a little hard lump there which is the |
| together in the nucleus of the atom. | | | | electron or the proton, is an illegitimate intrusion of |
| The other force involved in this unique | | | | commonsense notions derived from touch." It |
| combination of mass and force that constitutes | | | | was a hard time for scientific thinkers to make |
| the atom is the electromagnetic force, which | | | | the jump from classical Newtonian physics to the |
| interacts with electrically charged particles, like the | | | | modern age. |
| electron and the proton. The electromagnetic | | | | Today, the results of quantum experiments leave |
| attraction between negatively charged electrons | | | | no doubt that what we call matter exists |
| and positively charged protons in the nucleus | | | | simultaneously in two states, one in wave form |
| causes the electrons to orbit the nucleus of the | | | | (where it can be in two places at once) and the |
| atom. | | | | other in particle form, where it can exist in only |
| As all solids, liquids and gases of our world are | | | | one place at a time. It is entirely our decision in |
| made up of an atomic structure, it might be | | | | which state we want to investigate a body. |
| easier to call all these "matter". Everything below | | | | What this article suggests is that both mass and |
| the atomic horizon, particles such as protons, | | | | force are "dark" or invisible manifestations by |
| neutrons and quarks, could then be thought of as | | | | themselves. Hence, what we call "dark matter" |
| consisting of "mass" There are also force particles | | | | and "dark energy". The primal energy (to give it a |
| which carry mass, like the W and Z bosons. When | | | | name) which was exploded in the Big Bang and |
| it comes to "dark matter", of course, something | | | | from which the universe originated, is thought by |
| is involved which is different again. Not only in this | | | | modern physics to have passed through |
| dark matter thought to have no atomic structure, | | | | something called the Higgs Field, from which it |
| but it is also thought to consist largely of WIMPS, | | | | emerged at different levels of energy. |
| that is non-baryonic particles, or particles which do | | | | First to emerge, at very high energy levels, were |
| not include the ordinary subatomic protons and | | | | the force of gravity and the strong nuclear force. |
| neutrons. | | | | Below that came the electromagnetic force and |
| It is tempting, however, to use the term "matter" | | | | the weak nuclear force and still further down the |
| only for atomic matter and the term"mass" for | | | | energy scale came the mass particles. A small |
| everything else on which gravity exerts an | | | | portion of these mass and force particles then |
| influence. When we know what "dark matter" | | | | combined to form the atomic structure of |
| actually consists of, it might be necessary at | | | | matter, which we can perceive through our |
| some stage to divide the concept of mass yet | | | | senses. Apart from that, only light (as it emerged |
| further. | | | | from the Higgs Field) could have been perceived |
| This conceptual difference between matter and | | | | by our senses, as part of the radio wave |
| mass is confirmed to some extent by the latest | | | | spectrum. |
| work in quantum mechanics, which otherwise has | | | | Such is the general framework around the origins |
| been rattling our conceptual cages in a most | | | | of mass, matter and force which modern physics |
| disquieting manner for years. It should be | | | | is looking at today. How it all fits together, and |
| emphasized that quantum theory is unbelievably | | | | whether these ideas will stand the test of time, is |
| successful. Every prediction it has ever made has | | | | something only the future can decide. |
| been proved by experiment and observation. Its | | | | |