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by PokerPaul on December 23rd, 2005

PokerPaul

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When a person is cremated their ashes only weigh a few pounds. What has happened to the "missing" weight? Does it still exist anywhere?

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  • by lynnenorth on December 26th, 2005

    lynnenorth

    More than 70% of the human body is simply H2O. Obviously all that goes away. Of the remaining compounds, most are broken down by combustion into hydrogen, oxygen and other gaseous molecules. Cremation is done at a high temperature precisely so that it leaves behind almost nothing but pure carbon -- and that is precisely what is left behind, almost pure carbon, with a few mineral elements such as calcium which are incompletely broken down.

    Matter cannot be created or destroyed, basic physics -- but when the compounds of the human body are broken down by combustion, the elements they are composed of generally go into the atmosphere in very different forms than how they exist while we are alive. However, the elements do generally go into the atmosphere, to be taken up and recycled by other processes (including life processes), so although the weight is very diffuse, it still exists in the world.

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    • muey bueno

      Mendtos

      by Mendtos on April 29th, 2008

    • Wow! I couldn't say it better than that. Excellent answer!

      starryeyes

      by starryeyes on April 15th, 2009

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