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Can a point spin?(the verb not the property)? Does it take up space? If so should it?

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Points, lines etc are mathematical definitions. The mathematics is used to model physics systems, so that the predictions of the model coincide with measurements, i.e. real number values in the instruments used to measure.

In the mathematical model of classical mechanics, a sphere can spin and is modeled with the angular momentum variables. If it has a spin, and the radius of the sphere is mathematically reduced to zero, conservation of angular momentum will keep the spin value for this hypothetical mathematical point that represents the sphere. So yes, a point, a mathematical entity, can spin at the limit of r going to zero, which is the mathematical definition of a point. Whether this models nature or not is dependent on the particular physical system under study.

In the present quantum mechanical mathematical model of particle physics, the particles are assumed to be point particles and they may or may not have intrinsic spin. The model is very successful in predicting and fitting new data, and any attempts to measure sizes for the particles just gives lower limits, for the electron see this link as an example.

anna v
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