Who said matter cannot be destroyed

A battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A nuclear bomb converts nuclear energy into thermal, electromagnetic and kinetic energy. As scientists have better understood the forms of energy, they have revealed new ways for energy to convert from one form to another. When physicists first formulated quantum theory they realized that an electron in an atom can jump from one energy level to another, giving off or absorbing light.

In Niels Bohr, Hans Kramers, and John Slater proposed that these quantum jumps temporarily violated energy conservation. According to the physicists, each quantum jump would liberate or absorb energy, and only on average would energy be conserved. Einstein objected fervently to the idea that quantum mechanics defied energy conservation.

And it turns out he was right. After physicists refined quantum mechanics a few years later, scientists understood that although the energy of each electron might fluctuate in a probabilistic haze, the total energy of the electron and its radiation remained constant at every moment of the process. Energy was conserved. Modern cosmology has offered up new riddles in energy conservation. We now know that the universe is expanding at a faster and faster rate—propelled by something scientists call dark energy.

This is thought to be the intrinsic energy per cubic centimeter of empty space. But if the universe is a closed system with a finite amount of energy, how can it spawn more empty space, which must contain more intrinsic energy, without creating additional energy?

As space expands, it releases stored up gravitational potential energy, which converts into the intrinsic energy that fills the newly created volume.

So even the expansion of the universe is controlled by the law of energy conservation. She has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University and a graduate degree in science journalism from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet.

This particular resource used the following sources:. Skip to main content. Atoms, Molecules, and Ions. Search for:. The Law of Conservation of Mass. Learning Objective Define the law of conservation of mass. Elizabeth 85 books view quotes. Mar 14, PM. Michael books view quotes.

Jan 20, AM. Jennifer 0 books view quotes. Jan 04, PM. Henry books view quotes. Dec 08, PM. Jacob 1 book view quotes. Oct 18, AM. Janelle 2, books view quotes. Oct 16, AM. David 0 books view quotes. Sep 08, PM. Gordon 3 books view quotes. Aug 30, AM. Kimchi's 0 books view quotes.

Jul 12, PM. Kitty 31 books view quotes. Apr 15, PM. Jeanne-Svetlana 12 books view quotes. Znikomek books view quotes. Mar 09, PM. Analiz books view quotes. Feb 27, PM. Staci 1, books view quotes. Feb 05, PM. Annie 1, books view quotes. Jan 08, AM. Allen 1 book view quotes. Dec 22, AM. Michael 13 books view quotes. Nov 28, PM. Brandon 84 books view quotes.

Nov 23, PM. Alan 88 books view quotes. Nov 15, PM. William 0 books view quotes. Nov 05, PM. Sahara 57 books view quotes. Oct 30, PM. Vijayaganesh 3 books view quotes. Oct 23, PM. Lisa books view quotes. Sep 23, AM. Tamara 0 books view quotes. Sep 07, AM. Michelle books view quotes.

Sep 01, PM. Aug 31, AM. Latifa 14 books view quotes. Aug 10, AM. Marianne books view quotes. Jul 14, AM. Eldon 1, books view quotes. Nathan books view quotes. Jul 09, PM. Breanne Katherine 77 books view quotes. Jul 06, PM.