Incredible Energy

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Neutrons and protons occupy the atom’s nucleus. The nucleus of an atom is tiny – only on millionth of a billionth of the full volume of the atom but fantastically dense since it contains virtually all the atom’s mass… If an atom were expanded to the size of a cathedral, the nucleus would be about the size of a fly - but a fly many thousands of times heavier than the cathedral…It was a fairly astounding notion to consider that atoms are mostly empty space, and that the solidity around us is an illusion

There is so much about energy and space that is a mystery to us. The force that keeps all the positive protons together in such a small space (remember that like charges repel) is given the very simple name of strong nuclear force. It’s ten billion, billion, billion times stronger than gravity and we know very little about it.

Einstein was brilliant enough to teach us that Energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared (E = mc2). To help translate what that means, if you were able to assemble from the dust and explosion all the pieces of the bomb that landed on Hiroshima you would be missing about a chunk about the size of the tip of your finger. That small amount of matter changed to energy caused the mushroom cloud.

What does all this chemistry and quantum physics mean to you in every day life? Our perception of matter and reality are based upon the things that we have expected. Most of what we perceive as solid is mostly space. Small things can make a big difference when applied in the right way. We have infinite amounts of energy available to us that can literally change the world overnight.

What is holding us back? What are your challenges? How solid are the obstacles that are in front of you? We give way to much strength to the things that stand in the way of our dreams.
We sometimes forget the power and energy that is available to us and how easily in can change our whole world. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. Energy is not created or destroyed but it can be converted from one form to another. Each thought is an electrical impulse that fires neurons through your brain and through out the nervous system. How is that energy changing the world around you?