An Ancient Record-Can You Trust It? - Continue with Invisible Things In the Heavens

Another problem with Lavoisier's law on the conservation of matter arose in 1952 with the detonation of a thermonuclear device (hydrogen bomb.) In that explosion, hydrogen atoms combine to form helium.  The mass of the resulting helium, though, was less than that of the original hydrogen.  A portion  of the mass of the hydrogen was converted into explosive energy, an explosion far more devastating than the bomb released over Hirsohima.

As these explosions proved, a small amount of matter represents an enormous quantity of energy. This link between matter and energy explains the power of the sun, which keeps us alive and well.  What is the link? Well, some 40 years earlier, in 1905, Einstein had predicted a relationship between matter and energy.   Many know of his equation E=mc².  Once Einstein formulated that relationship, other scientists could explain how the sun has kept shining for billions of years. Within the sun, there are continuous thermonuclear reactions.  In this way, every second, the sun converts about 564 million tons of helium.  This means that some 4 million tons of matter are transformed into solar energy, a fraction matter of which reaches earth and sustains life. 

Significantly, the reverse process is also possible.  "Energy changes into matter when subatomic particles collide at high speeds and create new heavier particles," explains The World Book Encyclopedia. Scientists accomplish this on a limited scale using huge machines called particle accelerators, in which subatomic particles collide at fantastic speeds, creating matter.  "We're repeating one of the miracles of the universe-transforming energy into matter," explains Nobel laureate physicist Dr. Carlo Rubbia.

Next time: An Ancient Record-Can You Trust It? -Conclusion of Things In the Heavens

From the book Is There a Creator That Cares About You?