Does a black hole violate the Law of Conservation of Matter/Energy?
Asked by: Adam R. Scott
Answer
Neither the existence nor the behavior of black holes
violates conservation laws. All matter and energy falling
into a black hole increase its mass, with the energy
converted into mass via Einstein's E=mc2.
The eventual 'evaporation' of black holes via the
emission of so called Hawking radiation reverses the
process, changing mass into energy, but the
total mass and energy of the system is still conserved.
Answered by: Paul Walorski, B.A. Physics, Part-time Physics Instructor
'One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have.'