JGHunter said:I'm writing a short story which addresses an issue in time travel that I don't really see getting addressed, and I was wondering where I could find the original quote where it is written that mass or energy can neither be created nor destroyed?
Lavoisier's Law of conservation of mass states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change forms. This means that in a closed system, the total mass of the substances before a chemical reaction must equal the total mass of the substances after the reaction.
Antoine Lavoisier was a French chemist who is known as the "father of modern chemistry". He discovered the Law of conservation of mass through his experiments on combustion and the role of oxygen in chemical reactions. His findings were published in his book "Elements of Chemistry" in 1789.
This law is important because it laid the foundation for the development of modern chemistry and helped scientists understand the fundamental principles of matter and its behavior. It also led to the development of the law of definite proportions and the law of multiple proportions.
This law is applied in many industries, such as food production, pharmaceuticals, and environmental science. It is also used in everyday activities, such as cooking, where the mass of ingredients before and after cooking remains the same.
In theory, this law holds true for all chemical reactions. However, in some cases, it may seem like mass is lost or gained due to factors such as evaporation, sublimation, or the release of gases. These exceptions can be explained by taking into account the mass of the substances involved in the reaction, including any reactants or products that may not be visible.