Be one with the Force Luke

Most of us have seen the "Star Wars" double-Trilogy. Many of us, no doubt after watching the Empire Strikes Back ventured into the back yard to stare at a stone until we could move it, not really ever being able to. "Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes." Being able to lift X-wings out of swamps on an asteroid comes in very handy! Well, its as if Nature already knew we we would have a fascination with super human strength and invisible forces "that's telekinesis Kyle," as it turns out, Nature operates on invisible forces. Now before clicking the back button and mumbling something about, "This guy is OUT there," know that this is standard physics taught in all Universities its the field of Quantum Mechanics. It does sound a little far fetched because it is not all that well known. Conveniently, this whole idea of invisible forces wasn't discovered until the same century that Star Wars came out. That way Physics Professors the world over would have ample material to draw from when making comparisons and parallels between nature and Star Wars.

The idea is this:

When you wake up in the morning (feeling like P Diddy), you are laying on top of a solid surface...your bed. You are separated from your sheets, pillows, dog whatever because you are a solid object and so are the sheets, pillow, or dog. When you finally roll out of bed, you walk across the floor, you do not go through the floor because the floor is a solid object and you, again, are a solid object as well. What physics have discovered is that in fact neither you or the floor is a solid object! In face what you and I consider "Solid" is actually mostly empty Space!

You ask: How can that be?

Well, I am glad you asked. All Solid Material is made up of atoms. We learned this a long time ago in grade school. But an atom only has 3 subatomic particles, Proton, Neutron, Electron. Go to wiki answers and you will see this description:

"If a proton were the size of a marble an electron would be about the width of a human hair. With that scale the electron's orbit would be about 2 1/2 miles away from the proton. "

So we see that the atom, is mainly empty space! So all the solid objects that you and I interact with on a daily basis is in fact mostly empty space.

You say: Then how do I not fall through the floor when I walk in it or fall through anything for that matter!

That is where the idea of an invisible force comes into play. When atoms combine to make molecules they share their electron clouds. These clouds generate an electrical field around it. That field repels other molecules. So when I walk on the floor the electrical field from the molecules in the floor come in contact with the electrical field from the bottom of my foot or shoe and repel one another. SO the two force fields repel one another.

You ask: So why do I "SEE" solid surfaces if they are in fact mostly empty space?

Well, you will just have to wait until my next Post!