What is Zero Point Energy ?

[supermer]

Is it true that we can create energy from nothing ???

 

[Burnsy]

no, you can't create energy, you merely convert it from one form into another

 

[Heisenberg]

Zero-point energy is the lowest energy level a particle can have. Basically it comes from energy-quanitzation in quantum mechanics - that is, particles can only have certain allowed, discreet energy levels, as opposed to an infinite variation. These discreet energy levels come about from the wavefunctions used as solutions to the differential equation(s). The zero-point energy is simply the lowest energy state allowed by those solutions.

Another way to look at it is the "intrinsic" energy a particle has just by its existance. Either way, conservation of energy still holds.

 

[rimshaker]

For the actual explanation of Zero point energy.... whatever Heisenberg said... Funny you should mention though. Because in physics, the minimum energy (zero-point energy ) allowed by the uncertainty principle is also called the 'Heisenberg limit'

As for creating enery out of nothing, the rule of energy conservation is always followed... in any technical field. But the closest you can explain getting someting out of nothing, is harnessing the energy released by the collision of matter with its antimatter... star trek stuff, but antimatter energy is actually being collected today (in extremely minuscule amounts).

 

[Acetate]

No Energy = No Moving Particles = No Life

 

[bsobel]

Scientific American has a good article on this Here

Bill

 

[Semimaker]

There used to be a thread about a limitless energy source on this forum.

I, and may others, talked about zero point energy so you may get a better explanation from there, but here is what I can remember.

In space 2 particles (I can't remember what type) are created, out of nothing, one with +ve energy the other with -ve energy which soon annihilate each other.

This is one explanation of how the big bang started out of nothing!!!

Cheers.

 

[Degenerate]

i thought you could actually convert matter into energy? E=Mc^2

 

[supermer]

Thank you guys ...