sr.vinay Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 This might be moved to speculation: Like we still don't know the extent of the universe, can there be something like a smallest particle? Everything has to be made of something smaller, right? Is it that the smallest particle defined will be the maximum one can magnify things in that period of time? Is it sort of a continuum that everything has to be made of smaller particles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Everything has to be made of something smaller, right? Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr.vinay Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane_alien Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 thats not a satisfactory reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timo Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 Why? Why not? Funnily enough you just answered the question Swansont was refering to: If something might be true or might as well just not be true then it certainly doesn't have to be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr.vinay Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 Funnily enough you just answered the question Swansont was refering to: If something might be true or might as well just not be true then it certainly doesn't have to be true. Which is why I asked the question. Even the smallest particle, should have dimensions. The dimensions should imply that the particle is made up of something else. This might continue until we find it negligible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 We have particles that are described as structureless point particles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Skeptic Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 What if you don't know exactly where your particle is, then can you still say you know how big it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr.vinay Posted May 21, 2010 Author Share Posted May 21, 2010 We have particles that are described as structureless point particles. Aren't point particles a geometric representation of particles whose dimensions aren't important at the instant when other properties are under study? What if you don't know exactly where your particle is, then can you still say you know how big it is? If I didn't know, of course, I couldn't say anything about the particles. I wouldn't know because I wouldn't have the appropriate equipment. What if I did? Has physics really defined a smallest point particle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tnad Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Has physics really defined a smallest point particle? NO! just as it has not yet defined the biggest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the tree Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 We have particles that are described as structureless point particles. Aren't point particles a geometric representation of particles whose dimensions aren't important at the instant when other properties are under study?Yes and no. For elementary particles that are nearly always considered point particles - there is no evidence to suggest that they do (or, afaik, don't) have spatial dimensions. What if you don't know exactly where your particle is, then can you still say you know how big it is? If I didn't know, of course, I couldn't say anything about the particles. I wouldn't know because I wouldn't have the appropriate equipment. What if I did?I think you missed Mr Skeptic's point there, you cannot know exactly where your particle is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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