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According to an elementary concept of Newtonian mechanics, the universe consists of structureless material points, each has an intrinsic mass, representable by a geometrical point and a trajectory r(t) in space. However, it implies an infinite density, that is naïve. In the second half of the 20th century, quantum field theory was established, which correctly describes the universe as consists of continuous fields only. Upon interacting with other fields, mass, energy, and electrical charge are quantized. There are no material points. Nevertheless, in the first half of the 20th century, elementary formulations of quantum mechanics were built upon the naïve concept of material points, where the coordinates r were identified as a dynamic variable or observable, which was the origin of paradoxes in elementary quantum mechanics.  By eliminating the concept of material points and following the modern view that the universe only consists of continuous fields, quantum mechanics becomes free from paradoxes.       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
References

Frank Wilczek, The Persistence of Ether, Physics Today, January 1999, 11-13. 
Art Hobson. There are no particles, there are only fields, Am. J. Phys, 82 211 (2013).


International Forum on Physics and Astronomy 2022

What the Universe Consists of: Material Points or Continuous Fields?

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The forum aims to promote current research and share experiences among the participants through discussions, presentations and contributions on a more internationally competitive platform. The conference brings together eminent scientists, astronomers, researchers, students, industry leaders and education practitioners on a global platform to enhance physics and astronomy research and practice and to study the role of physics in helping us understand how the universe behaves.

The forum aims to promote current research and share experiences among the participants through discussions, presentations and contributions on a more internationally competitive platform. 

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