WEBVTT

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The neutron does not know what mass it needs to have.

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Protons have a stable mass of 1.67 times 10 to the minus 24th grams.

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If the mass of the neutron were 2% greater than this, neutrons would quickly collapse

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and atoms would become unstable.

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In such a state of affairs, no element essential for life could exist, and the only element

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in the universe would be hydrogen.

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On the other hand, were the mass of the neutron to be slightly less, then in that case protons

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would have an unstable structure.

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That would mean the mass of the protons would be greater than the mass of the neutrons inside

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the nucleus, and the protons would degenerate and turn into neutrons.

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Physicists say that if the neutron mass were just two parts in a thousand smaller than what

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it is, it would be impossible for atoms to possess the structure they have.

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In short, there would be no such thing as life.

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Current questions now arising in cosmology, elementary particle physics, and microbiology

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have an obvious metaphysical or religious content.

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The existence of the universe requires me to conclude that God exists.

