Is there a finite possibility of all matter?

[Tailspin]

I have heard this theory that there is a gigantically vast yet finite number of ways that atoms and molecules can be arranged, at least in any finite space. This would mean that the possibilities for anything and everything are finite.

 

Since there is only a finite number of ways that matter can be arranged that means there's a finite number of possible, sculptures, paintings, events that can happen, even people that can exist.

 

I'm an artistic type and personally I find this a little disturbing. I want to know how much truth there is to this theory and how credible it is.

[timo]

Usually, the position of objects is described by coordinates that are real numbers. In that picture the number of locations of a single atom in any finite space is infinite. Subsequently, the number of possible arrangements of N atoms is infinite, too. You might make a lot of magic statements claiming that quantum mechanics or the Planck scale were having and answer to your question. But I do not expect that they have any more merit than the classical picture. All those cases would merely be trying to make a very strong statement about reality of nature based on a mathematical approximation to it.

 

The possibly more interesting/relevant question possibly is: Could you tell an infinite amount of states apart from each other? Let's assume a perfect watch, where the pointer for the minutes is perfect and always points to the exact fraction of a minute: Could you tell two very similar states apart from each other? Probably not, even though I would not know where and how to draw the line between two states being distinguishable or not. This straightforwardly leads to another question: Could you even tell that the pointer has an infinite amount of states? At least human perception could not tell the infinite amount of states apart from a pointer that has only 100000000000000435122 possible states.

 

In my experience "infinite" is often overrated, and "practically infinite" usually is the more relevant property. The disadvantage to this stance of course is that statements start to depend on the context (particle physicists approximate millimeters with being an infinite distance, whereas architects disagree on this approximation).

[Spyman]

We don't know if the Universe is finite or infinite, thus it's possible that there are infinite locations and infinite combinations.

 

We don't know if there is a finite smallest length, thus it's possible that there are infinite different locations in a finite length.

 

Possibilities could be limited and finite, but we don't know that for sure yet, it might as well turn out that variations are unlimited.

[Tailspin]

It sounds to me like your are supporting both sides of this argument. I.E.

 

The placement of atoms is infinte but the difference is so small that it might as well be finite.

I ask agian are all possiblitys finite? Even if they are huge.

 

And thank you for your answer Spyman but I was hoping for somthing more definate.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Tailspin

[swansont]

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