Warp wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>>>   What about the four fundamental interactions? Are they energy, or are
>>> they some property of the Universe distinct from energy? 
> 
>> They're energy in the sense that they're mass in the sense that they're 
>> mediated by particles (assuming one finds gravitons, at least). The electric 
>> force is photons interacting with electrons, for example, both of which are 
>> energy.
> 
>   Isn't that like saying "sound is matter"? Sound is transported by matter,
> sound isn't matter in itself. Sound is a phenomenon.

Sound is made out of matter. The electric field force is an emergent 
property of the interactions between electric charge and photons. I think if 
you're going to disagree that sound is made out of matter, then it's a 
question of semantics you're asking, unrelated to the universe at large.

>   Likewise just because the fundamental forces are mediated by energy
> doesn't necessarily mean that the forces are energy.

"Force" is an emergent measurement. It's not an actual thing. It's a 
statistic.  Just like the acceleration you feel sitting in your chair isn't 
a thing, it's an effect caused by the earth and your butt taking convergent 
paths through space-time.

>   I'm not saying the fundamental forces are not a form of energy, I'm simply
> wondering if they are (because I'm not a phycisist and I don't know).

Electrons repel each other because their statistical interaction with 
photons they create is such that they're more likely to wind up farther away 
from each other than closer to each other.  The "force" is the fact that we 
can measure this.

>   I think in physics "information" is defined in terms of entropy, and as
> we know, entropy varies.

There's also "information" like "what color is this quark" or "how much 
charge does this object hold" that don't disappear. That's why black holes 
rotate: angular momentum is a form of information that doesn't disappear.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Serving Suggestion:
     "Don't serve this any more. It's awful."

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