SUBSTANCE is the most basic concept that physics builds itself from. The following statement supports this assertion.
Most scientists associate the word “substance” with matter. They think of field as a “mathematical object” without any substance. Similarly, they look at space, time and energy also as mathematical objects that are devoid of substance and reality.
The above statement expands the concepts of matter, energy, space and time in light of the concept of “field as substance”, as was held by Faraday.
Most physicist may disagree with the above because it delves into the philosophy of science. I know, however, that Descartes would have agreed with me.
The most basic concept would naturally be the widest or the broadest concept. This is case with the concept of substance.
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Is the word “substance” too vague?
Some are asking for the word “substance” to be defined. But if they read the above carefully they will see that it is precisely defined. A substance has substantiality. Substantiality is recognized by innate force of substance that appears as a reaction to being pushed. Both matter and field have this property.
Light is not a disturbance in some theorized aether. Light is a substance on its own right. It is its own “medium”. It has density. Light is called “energy” because it is a very fast moving substance. Its wave property comes from its motion.
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What is a particle?
The word “particle”, as used in physics, has been very confusing. We are familiar with a particle of matter because it has a center of mass. Electrons are not particles of matter because they do not have a center of mass. An electron is a “particle of field” that has a density much less than that of mass. It does not have a center of mass because it is not structured like the nucleus of the atom; instead it sloshes around within the atom, or away from atom.
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Is field just a mathematical object?
My idea of field is in the same sense as how Faraday first described it. Faraday’s field that was made up of lines of force, was not a mathematical object. It was real. It defined light and electromagnetic radiation. Maxwell made it mathematical, when he treated it as a disturbance in a hypothetical substance called aether.
However, there is no such substance as aether. Light and EM radiation are substances in themselves, and not disturbances in some other medium. As substances, light and EM radiation have actual densities. The energy of a wave disturbance is defined by its intensity, but the energy of a substance moving as a wave is defined by its density. That is the famous discovery of light quanta by Einstein, which is evident from the photoelectric effect. The energy of light quanta is tied to its “frequency” that actually expresses its density.
It is a matter of how you interpret the physics beyond mathematics. Physics has become too mathematical because it lacks proper interpretation.
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Was there no substance in the beginning?
Most people seem to associate substance with matter. It is true that in the beginning there was no matter, but there was substance in the form of field. Here I do not mean “field as a mathematical object”. By field I mean “force field” as defined by Faraday. Please see above.
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Is everything just energy?
I see energy as substance in motion. You cannot have energy without motion, and you cannot have motion without substance or force. In the final analysis, we perceive substance because of its force, or resistance to force.
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Important references from Faraday
I consider the following references from Faraday to be very important and appropriate.
Faraday: Electrical Conduction & Nature of Matter
Faraday: Thoughts on Ray Vibrations
Faraday: On the Conservation of Force
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