The Universe is a very mysterious place. At this point in time there is no scientific explanation that fully describes it (called a Theory of Everything or T.O.E.).
The Universe is a very mysterious place. At this point in time there is no scientific explanation that fully describes it (called a Theory of Everything or T.O.E.). The current main theories of the Universe are Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity. These two theories divide the Universe into four main forces: electro-magnetism, strong and weak nuclear forces; and gravity.
Electro-magnetism is the force that is involved in charged phenomena, particles such as charged molecules and non-particles such as electrons and photons (light). Aside from gravity it is the force that explains nearly all phenomena that we witness in our day to day lives, from static electricity to radio and light waves.
The strong and weak nuclear forces are the forces that interact with sub-atomic particles and atomic particles. The strong nuclear force binds some of the components that make up a proton, and the weak nuclear force binds most other atomic particles (electrons etc). The laws governing the strong and weak nuclear forces come mainly from Quantum Mechanics.
Gravity is the most mysterious of the four forces, it’s effects can be observed and it’s behaviour predicted using General Relativity yet no one knows how it operates. The existence of a small particle called a Graviton has been speculated, but it has yet to be detected.
In classical physics there are two types of substance in the Universe, energy and matter which behave as waves and particles respectively. However truth is proving stranger than fiction, and many of the properties of either matter or energy are shared by the other. This combination is simply illustrated by Einstein’s equation e=mc2 where e is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light.