>>51108031>>51109359>>51115178>MatterSo, by "Matter" one usually means stuff you can touch, and see, and feel; stuff that occupies space in an exclusive manner (as in, no two objects with matter can occupy the same space). This is a quality of just one type of particles, called Fermions. Fermions are stuff like Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons.
Fermions are subject to a law of nature called "Pauli Exclusion Principle", which states that only ONE Fermion can ever occupy the same quantum state, that is, to be in the same spot in space ("Have their probability wavefunctions overlap") AND have the same Quantum Numbers. If one were to try to push Fermions together, the Fermions would exert a massive force pushing back. In objects such as White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars, it is this force, called "Degeneracy Pressure", that holds back against Gravitational Collapse.
When the effects of Gravity become higher than the Degeneracy Pressure, and by logic Fermions should be forced to occupy the same states, everything breaks down in a manner catastrophic both in physical and mathematical and we get a Singularity, an infinitely tiny point (or a ring if it is spinning) where all the mass of the object is resting. These objects are better known as Black Holes, and what exactly goes on in the singularity and what happened to the matter is pretty much unknown.
Due to the effects of the law, Electrons around atomic nuclei are forced into different orbits, as their number increased. This is how we get the entire field of Chemistry, which at its core is the study of how electrons around atoms behave.
There are particles other than Fermions. These particles are not affected by the Pauli Exclusion Principle, and are thus free to occupy the same states. These particles are known as "Bosons", and they are stuff like Photons, and Gluons (irrelevant for our topic), and so on. To better understand how two particles can be in the same space, think of waves.
Imagine throwing a stone into one side of a still pond. It creates ripples. Then imagine throwing another stone in the other side of the pond. It again creates ripples.
You would then observe that these ripples are not reflected from each other when they meet in the middle, instead they seem to pass through each other. The ripples clearly exist but seemingly they do not care at all about space. Bosons, including Photons, are very much like that, waves in their respective quantum fields. They can exist on top of and inside of each other (one could say that they are "superposed", which is a state we shall call a "superposition").
tl;dr: Fermions are jealous girlfriends who fight off any and all other fermions trying to encroach on their quantum-position state oshi, while Bosons are sluts that are willing to gangbang in the same quantum-position with each other.
>How do we measure PhotonsThey have Energy and Momentum. When Photons hit stuff that can accept their energy, they are absorbed, meaning that their energy is transferred to the object that absorbed them. This change in the object's energy can be measured, and experienced.
>Black Holes and Spacetime BendingWatch this, it will help you visualize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7b-zFUlV_oEspecially pay attention to how the shape of the visible universe around you changes as you get closer and closer to the event horizon. Every second, ask yourself "in what direction should you move to get away from the event horizon?"
You will see the event horizon grow in size, and then become to envelop around you. This is the visual effect of space bending around you as described by the other anon. The closer you get, the larger the fraction of space around you occupied by the event horizon gets, until eventually only it remains, and you are left in complete darkness. That is the moment you crossed the event horizon. Here, if you ask yourself where to move to move away from the darkness of the event horizon, you will find no answer. There is only the event horizon and it is everywhere around you. Escaping is not a question of speed, because no matter how fast you moved in any of the directions, you would only arrive into more darkness.
>>51108898>>51110006You are right in the most parts, although you did accidentally mix up photons and protons in the text.
I would like to clarify though that it is sort of confusing to claim that Gravity does not affect photons, since Gravity is the bending of spacetime and Photons are affected by the bend. While it is accurate in the sense that Gravity does not exert a classical force on photons, according to GN, Gravity would not do that for ANY object, massive or massless. The only type of particle not affected by GN Gravity would be a particle with no mass and no momentum, and a particle like that would not exist at all, since it would not have any energy, like you mentioned in the latest post.
Good posts tho.
