Do you believe; and why?

[hollodero]

(05-08-2019, 05:24 PM)Dill Wrote: LOL that energy "raining" down from the sun though, some of it is reconstituted as mass, right? 

Actually, I think that when we are talking about individual subatomic particles, there is no loss or gain of mass in this transfer, even when fusion occurs. I think.

I think that's wrong :) As this E=mc² formula states, mass is a form of energy. With fusion (or fission), energy gets set free from the resulting nuclei that is not "bound" to become mass again. In case of the sun, that energy (=photons) can light our day, or gets reflected into space, or gives us sunburns or whatever sun rays do. All that isn't a form of reverting energy back to mass (but rather creating heat/movement or do all kinds of processes that are "mass neutral"). Or heuristically, the sun gets lighter with the centuries, but the planets don't get heavier.

Now sure energy can create mass too, e.g. two photons can turn into an electron and a positron - as much as positrons and electrons can turn into energy. I guess that's how enterprise's warp drive works :) --- but really, everything I say here is to be taken with a grain of salt, I do not want to spread fake science or turn into a false science prophet :)

--- Btw. as for faith, I do not believe in supernatural beings like a god, but I certainly can't know for sure. That's all I feel confortable to believe and to say. I guess that's agnosticism.