Energy and its relationship to matter started with big bang—a widely accepted theory in contemporary cosmology, which concerns the origin and evolution of the universe. According to this theory
The human use of solid materials began when a prehistoric ancestor of modern man picked up a stone and used it as a tool. The Paleolithic period, or Old Stone Age, represents the longest phase in hum
Liquids are actually quite rare in nature, when considered on a cosmic scale. Stars are plasmas (the fourth state of matter); giant planets are mainly gases, with frigid liquids occurring only at gre
The rise of civilization parallels the ability of humans to measure and physically describe matter. The English word quantitative is an adjective that means "pertaining to, or susceptible of measurem
Extreme states of matter include exceptionally high and low temperatures, incredibly high pressures, intense magnetic fields, and intense gravitational fields. Because scientists are curious individu
The scientific study of fluids concentrated first on the behavior of gases and then, as thermodynamics matured in the 19th century, incorporated the behavior of liquids under a variety of important p
