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Captain Obvious
07-25-2014, 05:51 AM
So I'm laying in bed at 4am thinking because I'm a hopeless insomniac, matter - it's either at rest or in motion. On Earth a piece of matter can be at rest but technically it's still in motion since the Earth is in constant motion (orbit), as is our solar system and even our galaxy.

After the big bang, in theory, all matter is in motion and for matter to be at complete rest it needs to meet other matter with equal and opposite force.

So our universe is pretty big, almost beyond comprehension. The odds of any random piece of matter in the universe being at complete rest is virtually impossible given odds of a perfect contact with some other matter with perfectly equal and opposite forces plus that particle of matter would need to be free from the effects of other larger particles of matter (gravity).

So could there be some random particle of matter in the universe at perfect rest?

sachem
07-25-2014, 06:50 AM
Next time, count sheep.

Chris
07-25-2014, 08:49 AM
The universe is expanding, everywhere.

Mr. Mensch
07-25-2014, 09:03 AM
So I'm laying in bed at 4am thinking because I'm a hopeless insomniac, matter - it's either at rest or in motion. On Earth a piece of matter can be at rest but technically it's still in motion since the Earth is in constant motion (orbit), as is our solar system and even our galaxy.

After the big bang, in theory, all matter is in motion and for matter to be at complete rest it needs to meet other matter with equal and opposite force.

So our universe is pretty big, almost beyond comprehension. The odds of any random piece of matter in the universe being at complete rest is virtually impossible given odds of a perfect contact with some other matter with perfectly equal and opposite forces plus that particle of matter would need to be free from the effects of other larger particles of matter (gravity).

So could there be some random particle of matter in the universe at perfect rest?

Wife turn you down?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVFma-jbFSA

PolWatch
07-25-2014, 09:05 AM
I have met some people that I suspect had brains at complete 'rest'....does that count?

Polecat
07-25-2014, 09:08 AM
My understanding is absolute zero is the temperature at which all motion stops.

del
07-25-2014, 09:17 AM
i am both random and at rest

Captain Obvious
07-25-2014, 09:36 AM
Wife turn you down?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVFma-jbFSA

Not really but after dinner and a few beers I was too tired anyway so I cancelled the initiative.

Kalkin
07-25-2014, 09:40 AM
At this point, what does it matter?

The Sage of Main Street
07-25-2014, 02:05 PM
So I'm laying in bed at 4am thinking because I'm a hopeless insomniac, matter - it's either at rest or in motion. On Earth a piece of matter can be at rest but technically it's still in motion since the Earth is in constant motion (orbit), as is our solar system and even our galaxy.

After the big bang, in theory, all matter is in motion and for matter to be at complete rest it needs to meet other matter with equal and opposite force.

So our universe is pretty big, almost beyond comprehension. The odds of any random piece of matter in the universe being at complete rest is virtually impossible given odds of a perfect contact with some other matter with perfectly equal and opposite forces plus that particle of matter would need to be free from the effects of other larger particles of matter (gravity).

So could there be some random particle of matter in the universe at perfect rest? Maybe space is in motion. Nothing can be at rest while floating in an ocean. Unless it is anchored down, but there's nothing under space that would be the equivalent of the ocean bottom.

Ngc1514
09-08-2014, 10:50 AM
So I'm laying in bed at 4am thinking because I'm a hopeless insomniac, matter - it's either at rest or in motion. On Earth a piece of matter can be at rest but technically it's still in motion since the Earth is in constant motion (orbit), as is our solar system and even our galaxy. After the big bang, in theory, all matter is in motion and for matter to be at complete rest it needs to meet other matter with equal and opposite force. So our universe is pretty big, almost beyond comprehension. The odds of any random piece of matter in the universe being at complete rest is virtually impossible given odds of a perfect contact with some other matter with perfectly equal and opposite forces plus that particle of matter would need to be free from the effects of other larger particles of matter (gravity). So could there be some random particle of matter in the universe at perfect rest? The simple answer is no. The more complex answer requires you asking a more detailed question than the one you asked. You need to specify at rest with respect to what? The answer in basic physics deals with inertial frames of reference. You alluded to this when you wrote about a body on the earth being at rest. It's at rest in respect to the planet. The earth and everything on it share the same inertial frame of reference. It is a simple matter to change frames of reference from the earth to Mars where you will discover the earth and everything on it is definitely not at rest. The same transformation of coordinates could be applied to your hypothetical particle showing it is not at rest.

Chris
09-08-2014, 10:56 AM
Hey, Ngc1514, Eric, right, only you could answer that so knowledgably. It's Chris, from Around the Campfire days.

Ngc1514
09-08-2014, 11:03 AM
My understanding is absolute zero is the temperature at which all motion stops.
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle tells us there are paired characteristics of quantum particles that the more precise knowledge we have of one characteristic, the less we know about the other. The most common example is the position and momentum of a particle. If we measure the momentum of a particle exactly, we would have no idea about where the particle is. This is why absolute zero is a state that can be approached, but never reached. If reached we would be able to determine both the momentum and position of a particle. The Uncertainty Principle tells us we can never reach absolute zero as Special Relativity tells us a particle (other than a photon) can never reach the speed of light.

Ngc1514
09-08-2014, 11:07 AM
Hey, @Ngc1514 (http://thepoliticalforums.com/member.php?u=1204), Eric, right, only you could answer that so knowledgably. It's Chris, from Around the Campfire days.
I was cleaning out some old PMs on other forums and came across your invite to TPF from a couple years ago. Thought I'd see what it was like.

Hope you are doing alright. The wife retired in June and we have shaken the dust of Atlanta off our sandals and building a retirement home in Lancaster, Ohio - birthplace of William T. Sherman. If we never get caught in Atlanta traffic again....

Chris
09-08-2014, 11:08 AM
I was cleaning out some old PMs on other forums and came across your invite to TPF from a couple years ago. Thought I'd see what it was like.

Hope you are doing alright. The wife retired in June and we have shaken the dust of Atlanta off our sandals and building a retirement home in Lancaster, Ohio - birthplace of William T. Sherman. If we never get caught in Atlanta traffic again....

Yep, doing fine. Great to see you again.