If statistics can be believed and relied on, then what I have read in a Creation Ministries International article, submitted to my Facebook wall by my good friend Dr Andrew Milnthorpe, looks to be very creepy indeed! The article is about how we are essentially made of atoms. I know that this is a typical school classroom stuff every student should be familiar with before leaving school. But considering what we are really made of, I think it's a good idea just giving it another thought here.
Indeed, I have written about the atom before on this blogger page.* But I still feel it's good to add a refresher from time to time, plus some astonishing scientific facts which I don't think I have mentioned before. It's either exciting - or it's rather creepy. And I emphasize the word scientific, as this is now held by most around me as the yardstick against all faith either standing or falling - with just about all of faith, especially Biblical faith, falling into mere myth in the eyes of science.
I have always been familiar with the atom as a miniature Solar System-like particle consisting of a nucleus with electrons whizzing around it as tiny orbits. That how I have always perceived it to look like. But according to the article, the electrons are no longer seen as tiny planets orbiting the nucleus. Rather, they are more like a cloud surrounding the nucleus.
Since the atom varies considerably in complexity, the article chose the simplest of all, the hydrogen atom. It consists of just one proton and one electron spinning around it. But what intrigues me is the actual space existing between the electron and the proton nucleus. Thus with the help of the internet, I had a bit of fun with numbers. Thus the classic illustration of the atom, above, is very misleading. If the true scale was to be shown, my computer screen would be as big as the lounge it's in, or probably even larger than our house altogether.
The distance between the proton nucleus of a hydrogen atom and its electron would on average be 60,300 times greater than the diameter of the nucleus itself. On a rough equivalent, this would mean that the space between the nucleus and the electron is so wide that if the nucleus was the size of our Sun, then the electron (perhaps represented by another star or very large planet) would be 14 times further away from the Sun - or 51,380,700,000 miles 82,689,320,000 km - than the actual mean orbit of the furthest planet of our solar system, Pluto, which is about 3,670,050,000 miles 5,906,380,000 km away from the Sun. Or for greater clarity, the distance of Pluto from the Sun: 3.67 billion miles. The distance of the electron from the Sun: 51.38 billion miles. Thus a 14 times difference.
Therefore, just supposing that every atom in the average-sized human body was to implode, that is, the pull of the nucleus bringing the electron to its touching point. Then the average human body would be reduced to the size of a single grain of table salt.
It's this unique property of the atom which, to me, is so dizzyingly complex. If I understand physics as I think I do, then I believe that opposites always attract, like the north pole of a magnet pulling towards the south pole of another magnet. So likewise, the negatively-charged electron should be pulled towards the positively-charged proton, causing the atom to implode on itself. Yet it doesn't happen. Instead, the electron whizzes around its nucleus, as it was believed, this fast movement keeping the electron at an equal distance from its centre and at the same time, forming an apparent solid shell, giving a billiard ball-type appearance.
I have wondered whether it's the centrifugal force within the atom which keeps the electron at the correct distance from its nucleus. Like the time, as a boy, tying a weight at the end of a length of string and then swinging the weight fast round and round. At all times the string tightens as it keeps the object at a constant, circular ark. Had the string snapped (and thank God that had never happened!) the weight would have flown in a straight line through space - except for the Earth's gravity arching the straight line into a parabolic curve which eventually brings the weight dropping to the ground.
And so, instead of positive/negative charged objects, could it be the centrifugal force generated by their orbital movement which is preventing all the planets in our solar system from plunging into the sun by its gravitational pull? Although I was very good on one or two of its subjects, unfortunately, during my school days, I didn't graduate in General Science, whether it be physics, astronomy, geology or biology (although if I wanted to now, I most likely could, without too much of a strain) but one thing is certain - acknowledging God for his power in Creation.
That's why I find the atom to be a fascinating study. As already mentioned, the rapid movement of the electrons (if that what it is) forming a billiard ball or cloud-like structure. This while considering that the atom is mostly empty space. Therefore it's this empty space between electron and nucleus which makes it possible for an omnibus to be over eleven metres long and over four metres in height, instead of being the same size as a coarse grain of sand, or myself standing at 5'11" instead of being the size of a single grain of table salt.
Furthermore, I find it amazing that all though I, along with every known substance, whether animate, vegetative or inanimate, solid, liquid or gas, all consist of empty space, none can pass through each other. Let the rain fall upon the surface on a car, bus or bicycle and the water will run as beads over the smooth, painted metal. The same if a person is splashed, the skin will remain impenetrable despite that the human body is 99.99999999% empty space, yet just leaving that person dripping wet. Two vehicles colliding in an accident will dent or smash the areas of impact and at the same time making a very loud noise, but the two will never pass through each other, despite all of these are a bundle of well-arranged almost-empty atoms. It's the "shell" or "cloud" created by the whizzing electrons which give every created thing its substance.
All this makes me feel in awe of God, my Creator and Redeemer. Such knowledge, such wonderful knowledge, puts me in my proper place in the realm of God's holiness, that is, as Abraham once admitted, just dust and ashes, my sin had made me unworthy to stand in God's presence.
Indeed, it's the love of God and his grace through I exist, as God's intention has always been to populate the Earth. It was the command given at Creation Week. Then again immediately after the Flood, his initial command was the repopulate the Earth and to fill it with life.
Here is the marvel of God's loving grace. Knowing that I am very nearly 100% empty space is a sobering truth, even a very creepy truth. Yet not one atom in me implodes. Instead, each atom is part of a highly complex molecule, especially in the nucleus of the cell, where the DNA, the RNA and other cell parts making this minuscule machine far more complex than the most highly-developed and most fast computer.
Therefore Abraham was right when he refers to himself as dust and ashes when standing in comparison with God's holiness (Genesis 18:27). God, in His righteousness, could cause every atom in us to implode, but He does not. Even after death, the flesh decays yet the bones remain relatively preserved. Its atoms do not implode.
Every breath I take, every heartbeat, whenever my food is digested, whenever my immune system is busy, the nights I spend oblivious to the world during sleep, even when my body heal itself after injury - indeed, how a well-arranged bundle of near-empty atoms can sustain life that's something science can't explain. Furthermore, unlike the rest of all lifeforms, I as a human being made in the image of God, a blessing indeed, which enables me to read, write, do maths, make decisions, carry out various tasks, and communicate in a way no other lifeforms can. Furthermore, to have a conscience, to know right from wrong, to make a choice between good or evil - and also to be accountable to God. Yet I'm composed of atoms - almost entirely of empty space, and yet no different to a boulder resting lifelessly on the ground or on a beach being lashed by the tides, a heavy inanimate object which too, is made entirely of atoms.
And so I write this blog after a week of reading in the national newspapers about the argument over Brexit - the promise of national sovereignty, the assurance of its coming greatness, the desire to rebuild the former British Empire. A class-obsessed nation with a history of racism and of xenophobia, the funny idea that this island, Great Britain, is really God's country, with England being the New Jerusalem of William Blake's tale of young feet of our Saviour walking through this land of mountains green and England's pleasant pastures seen.
And such cries to have this land restored to its former glory by leaving the "satanic political mills" of the wretched European Union, we now have a political deliverer - a very different saviour from the lone Jew who walked this Earth two millennia back in time. This one was elected by a group of devout Tories. But to him the leave-voting nation looks up to, to see the end of EU membership, to make ourselves great again, to have our God-chosen national status restored.
And so I look up to my good friend Andrew, who is a polar opposite to me in political matters, yet although holding a doctorate, he sees me as one equal to himself and therefore acts accordingly, winning my admiration of him, despite the two of us getting into a tizz on Facebook over leaving the EU. Yet despite all that, we both recognise that without the life-giving God, we are merely empty space. And that is a very creepy truth indeed.
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* Two of my blogs from the archives touching on the Atom are available by clicking here.
I have always been familiar with the atom as a miniature Solar System-like particle consisting of a nucleus with electrons whizzing around it as tiny orbits. That how I have always perceived it to look like. But according to the article, the electrons are no longer seen as tiny planets orbiting the nucleus. Rather, they are more like a cloud surrounding the nucleus.
Since the atom varies considerably in complexity, the article chose the simplest of all, the hydrogen atom. It consists of just one proton and one electron spinning around it. But what intrigues me is the actual space existing between the electron and the proton nucleus. Thus with the help of the internet, I had a bit of fun with numbers. Thus the classic illustration of the atom, above, is very misleading. If the true scale was to be shown, my computer screen would be as big as the lounge it's in, or probably even larger than our house altogether.
The distance between the proton nucleus of a hydrogen atom and its electron would on average be 60,300 times greater than the diameter of the nucleus itself. On a rough equivalent, this would mean that the space between the nucleus and the electron is so wide that if the nucleus was the size of our Sun, then the electron (perhaps represented by another star or very large planet) would be 14 times further away from the Sun - or 51,380,700,000 miles 82,689,320,000 km - than the actual mean orbit of the furthest planet of our solar system, Pluto, which is about 3,670,050,000 miles 5,906,380,000 km away from the Sun. Or for greater clarity, the distance of Pluto from the Sun: 3.67 billion miles. The distance of the electron from the Sun: 51.38 billion miles. Thus a 14 times difference.
Therefore, just supposing that every atom in the average-sized human body was to implode, that is, the pull of the nucleus bringing the electron to its touching point. Then the average human body would be reduced to the size of a single grain of table salt.
It's this unique property of the atom which, to me, is so dizzyingly complex. If I understand physics as I think I do, then I believe that opposites always attract, like the north pole of a magnet pulling towards the south pole of another magnet. So likewise, the negatively-charged electron should be pulled towards the positively-charged proton, causing the atom to implode on itself. Yet it doesn't happen. Instead, the electron whizzes around its nucleus, as it was believed, this fast movement keeping the electron at an equal distance from its centre and at the same time, forming an apparent solid shell, giving a billiard ball-type appearance.
I have wondered whether it's the centrifugal force within the atom which keeps the electron at the correct distance from its nucleus. Like the time, as a boy, tying a weight at the end of a length of string and then swinging the weight fast round and round. At all times the string tightens as it keeps the object at a constant, circular ark. Had the string snapped (and thank God that had never happened!) the weight would have flown in a straight line through space - except for the Earth's gravity arching the straight line into a parabolic curve which eventually brings the weight dropping to the ground.
And so, instead of positive/negative charged objects, could it be the centrifugal force generated by their orbital movement which is preventing all the planets in our solar system from plunging into the sun by its gravitational pull? Although I was very good on one or two of its subjects, unfortunately, during my school days, I didn't graduate in General Science, whether it be physics, astronomy, geology or biology (although if I wanted to now, I most likely could, without too much of a strain) but one thing is certain - acknowledging God for his power in Creation.
That's why I find the atom to be a fascinating study. As already mentioned, the rapid movement of the electrons (if that what it is) forming a billiard ball or cloud-like structure. This while considering that the atom is mostly empty space. Therefore it's this empty space between electron and nucleus which makes it possible for an omnibus to be over eleven metres long and over four metres in height, instead of being the same size as a coarse grain of sand, or myself standing at 5'11" instead of being the size of a single grain of table salt.
Furthermore, I find it amazing that all though I, along with every known substance, whether animate, vegetative or inanimate, solid, liquid or gas, all consist of empty space, none can pass through each other. Let the rain fall upon the surface on a car, bus or bicycle and the water will run as beads over the smooth, painted metal. The same if a person is splashed, the skin will remain impenetrable despite that the human body is 99.99999999% empty space, yet just leaving that person dripping wet. Two vehicles colliding in an accident will dent or smash the areas of impact and at the same time making a very loud noise, but the two will never pass through each other, despite all of these are a bundle of well-arranged almost-empty atoms. It's the "shell" or "cloud" created by the whizzing electrons which give every created thing its substance.
All this makes me feel in awe of God, my Creator and Redeemer. Such knowledge, such wonderful knowledge, puts me in my proper place in the realm of God's holiness, that is, as Abraham once admitted, just dust and ashes, my sin had made me unworthy to stand in God's presence.
Indeed, it's the love of God and his grace through I exist, as God's intention has always been to populate the Earth. It was the command given at Creation Week. Then again immediately after the Flood, his initial command was the repopulate the Earth and to fill it with life.
Here is the marvel of God's loving grace. Knowing that I am very nearly 100% empty space is a sobering truth, even a very creepy truth. Yet not one atom in me implodes. Instead, each atom is part of a highly complex molecule, especially in the nucleus of the cell, where the DNA, the RNA and other cell parts making this minuscule machine far more complex than the most highly-developed and most fast computer.
 |
| Inner workings of a typical cell. |
Therefore Abraham was right when he refers to himself as dust and ashes when standing in comparison with God's holiness (Genesis 18:27). God, in His righteousness, could cause every atom in us to implode, but He does not. Even after death, the flesh decays yet the bones remain relatively preserved. Its atoms do not implode.
Every breath I take, every heartbeat, whenever my food is digested, whenever my immune system is busy, the nights I spend oblivious to the world during sleep, even when my body heal itself after injury - indeed, how a well-arranged bundle of near-empty atoms can sustain life that's something science can't explain. Furthermore, unlike the rest of all lifeforms, I as a human being made in the image of God, a blessing indeed, which enables me to read, write, do maths, make decisions, carry out various tasks, and communicate in a way no other lifeforms can. Furthermore, to have a conscience, to know right from wrong, to make a choice between good or evil - and also to be accountable to God. Yet I'm composed of atoms - almost entirely of empty space, and yet no different to a boulder resting lifelessly on the ground or on a beach being lashed by the tides, a heavy inanimate object which too, is made entirely of atoms.
And so I write this blog after a week of reading in the national newspapers about the argument over Brexit - the promise of national sovereignty, the assurance of its coming greatness, the desire to rebuild the former British Empire. A class-obsessed nation with a history of racism and of xenophobia, the funny idea that this island, Great Britain, is really God's country, with England being the New Jerusalem of William Blake's tale of young feet of our Saviour walking through this land of mountains green and England's pleasant pastures seen.
And such cries to have this land restored to its former glory by leaving the "satanic political mills" of the wretched European Union, we now have a political deliverer - a very different saviour from the lone Jew who walked this Earth two millennia back in time. This one was elected by a group of devout Tories. But to him the leave-voting nation looks up to, to see the end of EU membership, to make ourselves great again, to have our God-chosen national status restored.
And so I look up to my good friend Andrew, who is a polar opposite to me in political matters, yet although holding a doctorate, he sees me as one equal to himself and therefore acts accordingly, winning my admiration of him, despite the two of us getting into a tizz on Facebook over leaving the EU. Yet despite all that, we both recognise that without the life-giving God, we are merely empty space. And that is a very creepy truth indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Two of my blogs from the archives touching on the Atom are available by clicking here.
do not be down about this blog or other blog's it is a good blog like all your blog's more then good keep it up
ReplyDeleteDear Frank,
ReplyDeletePraise the Lord that He is our Sustainer as well as Creator and Redeemer, for by Him, all things consist. As you say, we are mostly empty space, but the tremendous speed of the electrons around the nucleus creates the illusion of solidity.
Jesus Christ in His glorified body was able to walk through walls, and I believe we will be also when we are like Him, perhaps by passing through the empty space without permanently distorting our atomic structure.
Thanks as always for the excellent, thought-provoking post. God bless,
Laurie
Hi Frank,
ReplyDeleteis it no wonder that the things of God are foolishness to the carnal mind. Our knowledge is a blank space compared to the truth of God's mighty abilities. The more we grow in the Lord through the mind of Christ, the more we understand God's ways. I am so glad that He loves all, wants all to be saved, and that His thoughts are for our welfare and not to harm us.
May God's blessings be upon you and Alex.
Great post, Frank.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fascinating to realize that the same forces that form the atoms also hold our planet together and hold the planets and solar system togather in the entire universe. What a wonderful God to figure it all out and make it work.