large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_44
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
The sun's mass was known and its rate of energy production was known. Suppose the sun's mass were a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and it were burning at a rate sufficient to produce the energy at the rate it was giving it off. THE SUN'S MASS WAS KNOWN AND ITS RATE OF ENERGY PRODUCTION WAS KNOWN SUPPOSE THE SUN'S MASS WERE A MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN AND IT WERE BURNING AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TODUCE THE ENERGY AT THE RATE IT WAS GIVING IT OFF
m that came to be called “quantum mechanics” and chemistry was thus made a more exact science than it had ever been before. The Energy of the Sun The most serious problem raised by the law of conservation of energy involved the sun. Until 1847, scientists did not question sunlight. The sun radiated vast quantities of energy but that apparently was its nature and was no more to be puzzled over than the fact that the earth rotated on its axis. Once Helmholtz had stated that energy could neither be created nor destroyed, however, he was bound to ask where the sun’s energy came from. It had, to man’s best knowledge, been radiating heat and light, with no perceptible change, throughout the history of civilization and, from what biologists and geologists could deduce, for countless ages earlier. Where, then, did that energy come from? The sun gave the appearance of being a huge globe of fire. Could it actually be that—a large heap of burning fuel, turning chemical energy into heat and light?  A SYSTEM THAT CAME TO BE CALLED QUANTUM MECHANICS AND CHEMISTRY WAS THUS MADE A MORE EXACT SCIENCE THAN IT HAD EVER BEEN BEFORE THE ENERGY OF THE SUN THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEM RAISED BY THE LA LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY INVOLVED THE SUN UNTIL EIGHTEEN FORTY SEVEN SCIENTISTS DID NOT QUESTION SUNLIGHT THE SUN RADIATED VAST QUANTITIES OF ENERGY BUT THAT APPARENTLY WAS ITS NATURE AND WAS NO MORE TO BE PUZZLED OVER THAN THE FACT THAT THE EARTH ROTATED ON ITS AXIS ONCE HELMHOLTZ HAD STATED THAT ENERGY COULD NEITHER BE CREATED NOR DESTROYED HOWEVER HE WAS BOUND TO ASK WHERE THE SUN'S ENERGY CAME FROM IT HAD TO MAN'S BEST KNOWLEDGE BEEN RADIATING HEAT AND LIGHT WITH NO PERCEPTIBLE CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION AND FROM WHAT BIOLOGISTS AND GEOLOGISTS COULD DEDUCE FOR COUNTLESS AGES EARLIER WHERE THEN DID THAT ENERGY COME FROM THE SUN GAVE APPEARANCE OF BEING A HUGE GLOBE OF FIRE COULD IT ACTUALLY BE THAT A LARGE HEAP OF BURNING FUEL TURNING CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO HEAT AND LIGHT
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