Category Archives: Particle Physics

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

Posted on March 31, 2021 by The Physicist

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

Posted on September 30, 2020 by The Physicist

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?

Posted on August 31, 2020 by The Physicist

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

Q: Half-life?

Posted on August 20, 2019 by The Physicist

The original question was: If you have a lump of radioactive material with a half life of say 10,000 years, then how come it could start steadily decaying right away? Why wouldn’t everything be relatively stable for 10,000 years and … Continue reading →

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

Q: Could dark matter actually be the “gravitational shadow” of parallel universes?

Posted on September 29, 2018 by The Physicist

Physicist: The very short answer is: nope.  Well… almost certainly nope. “Dark matter” is stuff that we can’t see or touch, but we know it exists because it affects the motion of regular matter, which we can see.  Although there … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Particle Physics, Physics | 31 Comments

Q: Could the “proton torpedoes” in Star Wars be a thing?

Posted on June 24, 2018 by The Physicist

Physicist: If you’re a fan of Star Wars you may remember proton torpedoes from Episode IV as the only weapon that, when fired down an exposed thermal exhaust port on the Death Star, would “…start a chain reaction which should … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Particle Physics, Physics | 9 Comments