Commentary: Huang Wei
Compilation/illustration: K? (gold)
The universe is a workshop for creating everything, and the proudest product is human beings. There are two things in the universe that make us very confused:
Human beings are very unique in the universe, because we have never found a little intelligent life similar to ours on other celestial bodies except the earth. It seems that accidents are allowed in the universe.
The universe shows its standardization everywhere, and some basic principles are very popular in the universe, so the universe should not be a place to deliberately create accidents.
However, whether our existence is universal or accidental, it is meaningless that life can be created in the universe.
We are in a material system called the universe, and we are more and more aware of the materiality of the universe. As our understanding of the universe increases, so does our understanding of matter. Now most people think that the universe is a completely understandable material behavior. Although it has no wisdom in itself, because of the exquisiteness of the cosmic material system, we can make an object composed of the same elements as the universe have wisdom. In other words, the universe can make atoms and other elementary particles complex and ingenious enough until life comes into being. Of course, this needs a long evolution process. The so-called evolution is the proper term of life. In fact, it refers to a process in which a substance carrying information code can replicate itself, and constantly make use of the mistakes or inaccuracies of replication, so that environmental selection destroys one part and keeps the other part alive.
Material system-micro-universe
The power to handle atoms actually comes from several forces inside the nucleus:
Chart: Four Basic Forces of Nature
Although the concepts of these forces are still unfamiliar, people should be as familiar with them as their own recipes in the future, because human beings have reached the era of relativity and quantum mechanics, and these forces have different characteristics, different forces and different extension lengths. When the force in an object is dominant, it determines the nature of the object. What force can dominate an object depends on the number of nuclei in the object. To be precise, there are four forces at the same time in each nucleus. According to the number of surrounding nuclei, these four forces will form different force contrasts between forces, sometimes competing with each other and sometimes bringing out the best in each other, so when they merge, a star (burning sun) will appear, and in their harmonious state, a peaceful earth will appear that will not burn.
Diagram: a schematic diagram of the four basic forces in nature.
Material system-macro universe
We live in a combination of luminous stars and non-luminous rock planets, which is the most direct mode of life. The luminous planet is the sun (star), and its mass is the mass in our life. The mass of the sun is about 330,000 times that of the earth (the mass of the earth is about 5.96510.24kg). More specifically, the number of nuclei owned by a sun is almost the same as that owned by 330,000 earths, which is more accurate, because the concept of weight is related to the state of scale, and it is difficult to have a standard for the state of mesoscale in the universe, and the nucleus is standard. The reason why the sun is the sun is that it has a large number of nuclei, that is, the so-called large mass, not because of the difference in material composition, nor because the sun is one material composition, and the earth is another material composition. There is no other mystery. All the elements in the sun are occupied by the earth, but the sun is burning and the earth is cold except the core. This is because the form of force is different in objects of different mass and size.
Material system-life
From the perspective of life, we need a planet where several forces compete with each other and a planet where several forces coexist peacefully. It is meaningless that a hot planet shines on a cold planet, which will produce life. However, the fact is that this hot planet and this cold planet must be very subtle to make life possible, and this subtle probability is even as small as one in a few trillion, because so far, no exact signs of life have been found in other parts of the universe.
The rarity of life is a very big psychological obstacle for us to understand the universe. Before finding a second life form, it is always difficult for human beings to eliminate the shadow or confusion in their hearts. Are they the products of pure matter in the universe? We are eager to see life similar to ourselves exist in another space, which is probably the highest goal in human mind. However, the universe is not too difficult for human beings who persistently pursue their own cause and effect. Around the earth, there is a window leading to all directions of the universe. Apart from an indispensable atmosphere that makes the starlight a little hazy, there is no obstacle for human beings to pursue their own life experience, and human beings have never stopped thinking about it in the dark. Now human beings have proved to the universe that a group of intelligent life can.
The first thing we need to study is the sun, because we know what the light and darkness that circulate once a day are. We need to know what gives us the heat and light that we rely on deeply, and then we can understand other things in the universe and know the sun: "One is to know why the sun is in its present position, and the other is to know why the sun shines like this."
Why is this position an observation problem? This statement made by Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, was correct 500 years ago, which proved that the sun is much bigger than the earth and controls the earth to revolve around it. However, in order to understand its luminous mechanism, it really took a lot of effort, because this luminous mechanism does not exist on the earth. No matter how imaginative, it can only be guessed by chemical or conventional physical methods, but it cannot explain why the sun can burn stably and efficiently for a long time.
The predecessors calculated the mass of the sun according to Newton's law. If these huge masses are converted into coal, they can only burn for thousands of years. Judging from the evidence of life on earth, the sun has existed for at least 4.5 billion years.
Illustration: Schematic diagram of the structure of the sun (star)
What is the sun burning?
This requires great imagination, and the achievement of this kind of thinking is mainly attributed to Einstein, who unified the movement of the universe at a high level. This unity is the conversion of matter and energy, which occurs on the matter itself (nucleus). Einstein calculated that the burning of the sun is the burning of matter or nucleus, because the so-called matter is the nucleus. Only by studying the behavior of atomic nuclei can we explain why celestial bodies like the sun can exist for so long.
The burning of fuels that we are familiar with on the earth, such as wood, coal and oil, is the burning of electrons, which is the energy released by electrons jumping in different molecular structures.
There is a big difference between nuclear energy and electronic energy, which is chemical energy. There is a formula E=mc? This is a classic of Einstein's wisdom. With it, we can calculate the most important phenomenon in the universe-the transformation of matter and energy, and of course we can also calculate the state of the sun and any matter related to nuclear combustion.
Illustration: mass-energy equation (mass-energy equation)
In fact, nuclei are everywhere, and our human body is mainly composed of nuclei. They are all combustible, but the nuclei in the human body do not have the conditions for combustion because they are far apart. For example, if the nucleus is a glass ball, then the distance of each glass ball is almost 10 km. If you put the nuclei in the human body one by one, the whole person will be smaller than a peanut, so each nucleus is like a peanut.
Chart: schematic diagram of atomic structure
Why don't they touch each other?
Because every nucleus has electricity, that is, electromagnetic force, electromagnetic force is like repulsive force. All nuclei in the universe are positively charged, and they repel each other. Under normal circumstances, nuclei have no chance to meet, but negatively charged electrons can approach and be attracted by the electromagnetic force of the nucleus. However, because electrons rotate around the nucleus at an extremely fast speed, centrifugal force keeps them at a considerable distance from the nucleus.
In fact, from a material point of view, the human body is transparent. When we touch it, we feel solid, because we touch electromagnetic force, which is the interaction between electrons and nuclei. In fact, this is the best state in the universe, which shows that the universe has created a relaxed environment for matter, so that each nucleus has enough space to become a complete atom with electrons, and can use its peripheral electrons to construct the forms of various substances. In other words, if atoms are not given this freedom, then there are many in the universe.
Of course, if the atoms in the universe are so free, life will not exist, because it is just necessary to deprive many atoms of their freedom and expose their nuclei, so that our free atoms can be combined into intelligent life and get enough energy. This energy comes from the forced collision of nuclei, because there is the most powerful force in the universe-strong nuclear force in the nucleus, which is composed of hadrons, and each nucleus has three hadrons, which is extremely active. Just like three grumpy frogs, they always want to leave the bottom of the well and spread outward. Only a powerful nuclear force can restrain them. However, although this strong nuclear force is extremely powerful, its action distance is extremely short, and it can only act on the radius of the nucleus, which means that the largest Hercules in the universe has the shortest arm.
Illustration: Three Hadrons in the Nucleus
Hadron can't touch each other at ordinary times, so it can't show great power. But once you have the opportunity to get in touch with each other, it will be earth-shattering. When they combine, they need a lot of energy, which can only be obtained in the nucleus. The way to get it is to convert matter into energy. The energy contained in matter is extremely amazing. When a strong nuclear force demands energy from matter, only a little matter is used, accounting for only about 7‰ of the total mass of the nucleus, but this little bit causes brilliant burning like a star, so bright and lasting. This is a cosmic flame produced by some substances thrown out when nuclei combine.
When the nuclei gather together and some substances are converted into energy and released from the nuclei, the nuclei will become lighter. This is the case with the sun. Its weight is constantly reduced in the process of combustion. It has 700 million tons of nuclear collisions every second, and the matter that completely disappears is about 4 million tons per second. This is the energy quality of 7‰ that is constantly and permanently changed, which is completely different from the familiar combustion on the earth.
No matter how the burning on the earth burns, the earth will not become lighter, because the burning on the earth is only the combination of molecules, such as oxygen and carbon, which change from one state to another. The molecular combustion on the earth, called chemical energy, is 200000000 times more powerful than the nuclear combustion of the sun, and the nuclear fusion of 1 kg hydrogen atom is equivalent to the energy of 4000 tons of oil and 6000 tons of coal. The reason why the sun can make the nuclei burn is because it can make these nuclei come into close contact, that is to say, the nuclei in the universe are generally not in contact, and once they come into contact, they will burst into energy. This is a principle of the universe. The nucleus can be touched inside the sun because it can make the nucleus move, and the moving nucleus can pass through the solid diaphragm between them-electromagnetic force.
Electromagnetic force is the second most powerful force in the universe, only 1% of the strong nuclear force. The strong nuclear force is characterized by contraction in the nucleus, which can only play a role within the scope of the nucleus, while the electromagnetic force can extend infinitely outward. Therefore, the strong nuclear force is actually like a frog locked by electromagnetic force. Although its jumping power is amazing, it is useless. Fortunately, otherwise, if the electromagnetic force of the human body suddenly disappears, the nuclei will collide instantly.
Most nuclei in the universe are isolated from each other by electromagnetic power grids. These nuclei are lazy, so they don't produce any luster, but just float in the universe in the form of dust.
However, there are still many nuclei forced to move in the universe. Their playground is a star. On the star, the nuclei are full of energy and collide with each other, so there are countless twinkling spots in the universe, which we call stars, that is, suns of different sizes. These are the results of the collective movement of nuclei. The universe is bright because of their movement, and the playground of the nucleus must be very big. When an object is growing, there will be a phenomenon in it, that is, it is getting hotter and hotter, and the heat will make the nucleus move rapidly, just like a car driving at a high speed, they will produce huge collision force, which can break through the isolation of the original electromagnetic force of the nucleus and make the nucleus closer and closer. When the distance is close enough for strong nuclear forces to touch each other, they will collide together in an instant, and at the same time, 7‰ of matter will be used to generate huge nuclear energy to complete the collision.
Inside the sun is this kind of high-speed moving nucleus, which collides steadily all the time, so the sun shines. Although the mass of the sun decreases with the continuous release of energy, its mass is very large, and this loss is negligible.
Illustration: starry universe
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