its been emphasised to me by teachers that space is Empty vacuum, is it really?
486232
The universe is theorized to contain dark energy and dark matter. There have been some confirmation of it's existence but really just speculation at this point. The idea of dark matter had been identified by Einstein but it wasn't till the discovery that the universe is accelerating it's expansion and contains up to 70% more matter that the idea of dark matter and energy became serious areas of study. If you mean a vacuum to mean absence of air it is a vacuum but within that "vacuum" there definitely is matter.
37926
emilyrose gave a very thoughtful answer. \n\nReality on a small scale is quite a bit different than what we experience on our scale (the so-called "macroscopic scale"). I might make a few comments:\n\n1. Not only do the electrons in an atom have some wavelike properties, but the nucleus of an atom does as well. \n\n2. A "vacuum" is actually not really empty space, but a seething mass of virtual particles appearing and disappearing a very short time later (the Casimir effect is a strange force that is evidence for this mysterious force).
1025562
My opinion through many meditative thoughts:\n\nI believe our universe exists as a point in what you call 'the void'. A point having the geometric meaning of no volume, dimensionless.\n\nI believe what you are considering the void is what I call space. Our universe is what we can view, touch and explain through science we have developed. Space on the other hand is an infinitely dimensional medium, in which our universe was born. \n\nOur universe is nothing more than a 'disturbance' in space, and in space our universe exists as a point. This point is a fraction of infinity, yet everything is a fraction of infinity. So in the humble realization that we are nothing (a fraction of infinity), we realize we are equal to everything we can fathom, as it too is a fraction of infinity no matter how large.\n\nSo, through the realization that we are nothing comes the discovery that we can be equal to as much as we can fathom. \n\nI believe this means everything that makes up the universe and space has its own existence or presence known to space and must exist.  This existence holds true for our universe and what we would consider other universes. The disappearance, or non-existance of any defined object and its position in space no matter how small, down to a point, would truly have mind boggling consequences. \n\nIf time travel is possible than there must be alternate universes, as we know it.  It is a deadening thought to ponder.  Almost pointless until we figure out gravity, which I believe will open the door to all other understandings.
401773
Absolute nothingness can mean two things: absolute vacuum or as in there's completely nothing, not even space.\n\nThis very hard to have this idea to be understood. That's because we cannot think of anything outside of our universe. We live and think in a 3-dimensional universe and therefore cannot correctly think in higher dimensions (let alone proving it). We do not know and cannot prove if either meanings of absolute nothingness actually exist.\n\nThe things you hear about what's outside the universe or what's not (including absolute nothingness) are only theories, not facts. Not even close. We can only make theories to what things there are that are dimensionally outside the universe.\n\nTo answer your question, we really don't know and if it does exist, we cannot see it or live in it. There wouldn't even be darkness if absolute nothingness exist.\n\nOh, and one more thing:  Black holes are not absolute nothingness. Just a very very very very very very very very dense (did I mention very?) matter that its gravity is SO strong that light can't even escape it, materialistically or relatively (as in, Einsten's theory of relativity, where a huge mass will make such a curve in the space-time plane and a blackhole will make such a huge one that light will forever spiral in it towards the center).\n\nAnywho, blackholes are not nothingness. Just that light can't even escape it, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing there.\n\nPS Penguins!!!\nPSS I have used the 3-dimensions reason to a lot of questions like these, but that's always the reason when it comes to things that are about anything outside the universe (physically, dimensionally, theoretically, and/or mentally).
621991
I dont have an actual numerical percentage for you, but yes, matter is mostly made up of just empty space.\nThere not only is lots of empty space in between atoms, but also, the atom itself is mostly empty space as well.\nWhen you scale an atom into normal terms, the VAST majority of its mass is concentrated in an extremely mall area (the nucleus) and its electrons orbit very far away (in relative terms).
664661
Quite an interesting question.  Well, it's true that the Universe is expanding, has been expanding since the Big Bang, and always will expand.  Plus, it's been doing so at the speed of light, so unless there's some way for us to travel faster than that, we're already too late to actually go (or send something) and find out what it's expanding into.  Point B can never reach the end.  Having said that, we're fairly sure that 'nothing' is beyond space.  Space is expanding into nothingness.  Of course, this is a hard concept since most of space has nothing in it anyway.  Yet even  when space is empty, it's still considered 'something.'  This empty 'something' expands into the nothingness.  Confusing, I know, but I can't think of a better way to explain.  Anyway, I don't believe there's a container that would stop the Universe from expanding.  I suppose it could be theoretically possible, but I'm not sure how.  I believe it will keep on expanding forever.
339011
Qunatum uncertainty says that you can never be certain that space is empty at Planck distances, therefore on those scales there is always some matter-energy in the form of virtual photon / antiphoton pairs that suddenly come into existence and then annilihate one another.  This suggests to me that empty space cannot exist on its own unless there is something in it.  Ultimately, we can spin whatever theories we want and debate forever which ones we prefer - but unless someone can design practical experimental methods, then the arm chair physics will not resolve very much.
838195
Good question - it depends on which theory you want to use. Currently, it is estimated that there are 5 hydrogen atoms per cubic metre. But this does not necessarily mean that there is "nothing" between these atoms.\n\nAccording to quantum physics, even the space that we most often referred to a a vacuum, may be composed of various exotic unobservable (for now) components.\n\nIn quantum physics a vacuum is not the same thing as "nothing." One theory supposes that all space is filled with the Higgs Ocean composed of an undetected Higgs field.\n\nThe current idea in quantum physics is that the only place where there is "nothing" is between the strings making up all matter and energy. The concept of "nothingness" is a complex and extensive subject and very difficult for us to visualize.\n\nOf course there is much more to these concepts than a few words in a brief paragraph can relay.\n\nGood Luck
191108
Definitely Vacuum. Because space, that is vacuum space has no mass. Because of that factor, WE, can basically, "FLY" in outer space....
655363
theoretically, YES.\n\neven space is not a complete vacuum.\n\nthe "tightest" vacuum exists in intergalactic space with a density of one hydrogen atom per cubic centimeter.\n\n"sound" is the perception of vibrations in atoms as percieved by the human ear.  \n\ntheoretically, a large enough shockwave ( e.g. a supernova ) could compress enough of these rare atoms in space to move your eardrum ( if the radiation doesnt kill you first ! ).  \n\nif you consider the music coming out of your stereo amplifier to be sound, then consider a microphone that is sensitive enough to pick up these minute vibrations in space and amplify them to your speakers and you would be listening to their sound ! ( in space ).\n\nin short, the VIBRATIONS are there even in the thinnest vacuum, it is only a question of being able listen to them !
361693
Nope.  A vacuum (not "vacume") means that there's not any air to begin with, and because a fan cannot produce air, only move it around, no air will be given off.
847658
Recently scientist experimenting with near absolute vaccuum, suddenly within an empty chamber "matter" appeared from nothing.
548934
No! Even without virtual particles, most of which self-annihilate almost immediately, the overall density of 'empty space' in the universe has been calculated to be about 2.11^ minus 29 kg/cubic meter.
826041
The answer to your question would depend on (1) whether "empty" means a "perfect vacuum" or filled with air? (2) how is this 1 joule of energy initially distributed inside this box? (3) how large is this box? (4) how much time is allowed to elapse before the termperature is determined? (5) can energy leak out or into the box? (6) is the box under the influence of a gravitational field?\n\nThe temperature of an object is proportional to the average kinetic energy of the molecules in it. In a pure vacuum, there are no molecules. There is nothing to measure the kinetic energy of, and temperature is undefined. If a thermometer were placed in a vacuum, the reading would be a measurement of the internal temperature of the thermometer, not of the vacuum which surrounds it. So having 1 joule of energy inside a box containing pure vacuum would have NO temperature. And if it contained air, then we would need to know the initial temperature, pressure of the air inside the box and also the volume of the box. Then we can approximate the air as an ideal gas and use the following equation to compute the temperature:\n\nPV=nRT\n\nwhere T is the temperature, n is the number of moles of gas and R is the gas constant. Since we know the initial temperture and pressure, and the volume of the box. Then\n\nP(i)V(i)/T(i) = P(f)V(f)/T(f)\n\nT(f) = T(i) [P(f)/P(i)]\n\nSince pressure is dfined as P = F/A (force per unit area) and\n\nE = Fd (force times distance), then\n\nP = E/Ad, where Ad = V volume of the box (here we are assuming that the 1 joule of energy is uniformly distributed inside the box and the volume of the box does not change)\n\nHence, T(f) = T(i) [E/P(i)V(i)]
861922
It is not a vacuum.  The density of space is 0.1 - 1000 atoms/cm3.\n\nPlanets are made of condensed interstellar matter.
320913
Yes, space is big. I mean really really big. You can't possibly imagine how absolutely huge it is. Also it's dark, cold and empty for the most part.
510244
The Outer space does posses gases, but the vaccum is present because of the incomrehensible size of the universe. Had gases  such as Hydrogen and Helium not been present, there wouldn't have been a sun or nuclear fusion... vaccum indicates absence of matter. It becomes a matter of perspective whether you stand on earth and say that the galaxy andromeda is in outer space but earth is not.. when a hypothetical being on andromeda would say that earth is in outer space but andromeda is not... ;)