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mass defect
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mercury
Apr 28, 2013, 12:39:07 PM4/28/13
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[[Mod. note -- Please limit your text to fit within 80 columns,
preferably around 70, so that readers don't have to scroll horizontally
to read each line. I have manually reformatted this article. -- jt]]
I tought is there any explicit mechanism realizing the mass defect.
Something in terms of gravitons or virtual photon. Maybe it looks
silly but I wonder why there is not a defect of the charge as well
as a defect if mass.
preferably around 70, so that readers don't have to scroll horizontally
to read each line. I have manually reformatted this article. -- jt]]
I tought is there any explicit mechanism realizing the mass defect.
Something in terms of gravitons or virtual photon. Maybe it looks
silly but I wonder why there is not a defect of the charge as well
as a defect if mass.
Gerry Quinn
Apr 30, 2013, 10:42:43 PM4/30/13
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In article <fe92766b-a089-4008...@googlegroups.com>,
il...@abv.bg says...
It might make it easier if you look at it the other way round.
Imagine separating a hydrogen atom into an electron and a proton. It
takes energy to do it, and each particle now is surrounded by an
electric field which wasn't noticeable before. The separated system is
more energetic - and therefore more massive - than the original atom,
and we can reasonably argue that this energy resides in the electric
field.
Now let them combine again. Once they have radiated any excess energy,
you have the original hydrogen atom back. It has a mass defect compared
to the separated state because the energetic electric field from the
separated charges has gone away.
Interpret the field in terms of virtual photons or in any other way you
like: the important point is that this is why the mass defect arises.
The same argument can be applied to other kinds of fields.
The term 'mass defect' is usually used in the context of nucleons
interacting by way of the strong nuclear force - there is nothing
special about this case except that the energy of the field is large
enough that the mass difference are noticeable. We can easily tell that
an atom of helium[*] weighs less than four hydrogen atom, whereas we
could never practically measure the mass difference between ionised and
non-ionised hydrogen.
[*] Plus two neutrinos, if you want to be fussy.
- Gerry Quinn
il...@abv.bg says...
Imagine separating a hydrogen atom into an electron and a proton. It
takes energy to do it, and each particle now is surrounded by an
electric field which wasn't noticeable before. The separated system is
more energetic - and therefore more massive - than the original atom,
and we can reasonably argue that this energy resides in the electric
field.
Now let them combine again. Once they have radiated any excess energy,
you have the original hydrogen atom back. It has a mass defect compared
to the separated state because the energetic electric field from the
separated charges has gone away.
Interpret the field in terms of virtual photons or in any other way you
like: the important point is that this is why the mass defect arises.
The same argument can be applied to other kinds of fields.
The term 'mass defect' is usually used in the context of nucleons
interacting by way of the strong nuclear force - there is nothing
special about this case except that the energy of the field is large
enough that the mass difference are noticeable. We can easily tell that
an atom of helium[*] weighs less than four hydrogen atom, whereas we
could never practically measure the mass difference between ionised and
non-ionised hydrogen.
[*] Plus two neutrinos, if you want to be fussy.
- Gerry Quinn
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