AND MORE... As if I were not sufficiently occupied being baffled by "matter", I now find I'm supposed to be concerned as to what "antimatter" might be!
It sounds simple enough. "Anti" means against, doesn't it? So - antimatter would be something which is opposed to matter, right? But, that sounds too much like a description of nothing - vacuity - and that wouldn't do at all, would it?
Antimatter is closely related to antiparticles, which might be easier to imagine. Think of things such as electrons and protons, to start with. They are identical, I'm told, except for the fact that each contains an electrical charge which is the opposite of the other. When such subatomic particles come in contact with each other, they explode and their collision produces a sudden spurt of energy.
And, somewhere along in there is where they lose me.
I will simply go right on accepting the stated fact that "Star Wars" gigantic space craft move from here to forever by such a handy-dandy means of propulsion. I will take geek-word terminology with a grain of saline solution and go right on wondering how we can expect go on slamming atoms against each other to keep our space fleet afloat without upsetting the equa-positive relationships needed to keep our Earth-cart wheeling along at its customary apple-wagon speed.
I find I am not entirely alone in this having some little doubts and questionings about the a few things our science-fiction writers scribble half-way into being for-real and, oh, so eminent. One panelist of the Physical Society of Maryland has been quoted as having said: "Anybody who tells you that it will one day power (our) space craft is trying to sell you something."
I feel some such word of caution are necessary in planning what our extravagant dreams might entail. I've heard older folks warn us that in using Nature's methodologies, as we are gradually learning to do more and more, we are, indeed, as they so quaintly put it: "... are messin' with the makin's!
We'd best move with care. In some way antimatter might matter more than we think it does... whatever it is.
A.L.M. March 11, 2005 [c373wds]
