The thermodynamics of the universe is dictated by which form of energy dominates it - relativistic particles which are referred to as radiation, or non-relativistic particles which are referred to as matter. The former are particles whose rest mass is zero or negligible compared to their energy, and therefore move at the speed of light or very close to it; the latter are particles whose kinetic energy is much lower than their rest mass and therefore move much slower than the speed of light. The intermediate case is not treated well analytically.
Read more about Thermodynamics Of The Universe: Energy Density in The Expanding Universe, Rate of Expansion of The Universe, Dark Energy and Cosmic Inflation, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words the universe and/or universe:
“The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.”
—Steven Weinberg (b. 1933)
“It would be a poor thing to be an atom in a universe without physicists, and physicists are made of atoms. A physicist is an atom’s way of knowing about atoms.”
—George Wald (b. 1906)