Matter and energy: We explain what matter and energy are, the characteristics of each and how they were studied. In addition, the relationship between the two.
What are matter and energy?
Our entire universe is made up of matter and energy, in their many forms, presentations and capacities. In fact, the two basic disciplines with which we try to understand the fundamental laws that govern it, physics and chemistry, deal with the relationships between these two elements: the substance that makes up things and their capacity to transfer heat or perform work.
From an intuitive point of view, we understand matter as something we can touch, which is concrete and occupies a place in the universe. On the other hand, energy cannot be touched, it is only perceived in its different manifestations: heat, light, movement, etc. The things around us have both their own mass and a variable amount of energy, depending largely on the state they are in.
These are two fundamental concepts, closely linked to each other, between which there are certain equivalences. For example, it is possible to transform mass into energy, which occurs daily inside stars, through intense nuclear reactions, or inside our own bodies, when we break down the food we eat and extract chemical energy from it to keep us alive. Keep getting this Worker information too!
Matter
Matter is defined as that which extends in a certain region of space-time, which has a certain amount of energy and which is subject to changes over time. Its name comes from the Latin mater, “mother”, since it is the matrix substance of things, that is, that which originates them or which composes them.
In general, physics attributes three fundamental traits or properties to matter:
- It has a certain mass, which is evident in a weight, a volume and quantifiable dimensions.
- It occupies a place in space, which cannot be occupied at the same time by another body.
- It persists over time, although not necessarily in the same form: ice is certainly matter, and it does not stop being so when it melts or when the water that composes it evaporates. These changes in its physical state (or state of aggregation of matter) depend on the amount of energy it possesses.
The study of matter dates back to classical antiquity, and occupied many thinkers and philosophers throughout history. In fact, it was the ancient Greeks who first formulated the atomic theory, that is, who thought that matter could be composed of tiny, indivisible particles of different types.
This idea was rescued much later, in the rationalist boom of the 17th century, and was fundamental in the field of study of chemistry, which in turn inherited medieval alchemy.
According to the study models of current physics, only about 5% of the appreciable universe is composed of ordinary matter, while the so-called “dark matter” whose functioning is still unknown, occupies 23%. The latter is assumed to be a form of non-mass matter, that is, devoid of mass, whose presence can only be intuited by the way in which it affects the stars and the energy around it.
Energy
In physics, energy is defined as the ability to perform work, that is, to act, arise or set in motion. Absolutely all bodies possess a certain amount of energy, related to their state of rest, movement or vibration, for example, but which manifests itself in very different ways.
Thus, it is possible to speak of many types of energy: heat energy, chemical energy, kinetic energy, electrical energy, potential energy, internal energy, etc.
The word energy comes from the Greek enérgeia, “activity”, a term that first appeared in the writings of Aristotle (384-322 BC) in the 4th century BC, and was taken up by modern and late medieval naturalists.
It has been given many other names throughout history, such as “living force” (vis viva), “power” or even “spirit”, depending on the context. This is largely due to the fact that the study of different types of energy originated separately, as more and more forms of energy were discovered in the universe.
Energy can generally be perceived in its various manifestations, since in the abstract it is not something perceptible. On the other hand, heat, light, movement or activity can be perceived with the naked eye, and their effects on matter can be studied without difficulty. Thus, energy would be a physical magnitude, which we can measure in its different appearances.
We must also consider that the amount of energy in the system tends to be constant, so that it cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. In fact, it is in continuous transformation all the time: the chemical energy stored in food is converted into mechanical energy when we move, or into electrical energy in our nervous system.
Likewise, the electrical energy from the plug is converted into light energy when we turn on the lamp, or into heat energy thanks to the water heater.
Matter and energy relationship
The relationship between matter and energy has been studied by physicists for centuries. We know that a change in the energy levels of matter affects its shape and state of aggregation, something we have seen since we learned how to melt metals.
Later, knowledge of chemistry gave us a much greater understanding of how to transform matter: no longer changing the configuration of its particles, but breaking the bonds between atoms and obtaining different substances.
In fact, humanity’s greatest achievement in this regard has been the discovery of atomic energy and its manipulation for peaceful purposes, that is, in the construction of energy plants in which heavy atoms are fused to generate large amounts of heat energy.
All this was possible thanks to the theories of Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and other important physicists, and especially his formula for the equivalence between mass and energy (E = mc2), known as the Theory of Relativity.
