>>> two equal size and type pieces of matter can cancel each other out and become nothing.
When a particle and an anti particle anihilate, there combined mass is converted to energy, not nothing, e=mc^2, (in it's simplest form). Matter can be thought of as frozen energy if it helps.
I think you need to read your physics books again beege!
Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity unto the dream.
And I know someone will say, "well but electrons do have mass", which is true, but it is also true that light has mass, and it can't be argued that light isn't moving at the speed of light.
Electrons have rest mass, light does not.
Alright - I solved the problem during lunch at school. I found this paper in the library on fission, and while it is technically not fission, when electrons get close to the speed of light, the atom disintegrates, causing about as much damage and radiation as fission would. Based on this, I was able to answer my question (which is not posted here)
There seem to be some inaccuracies here. First of all I don't see how you can speed up an electron. They absorb energy and go to higher energy levels, then they give off that energy (in the form of photons) and drop down to lower energy levels.
Assuming what you said is correct, that would be considered fission if the nucleus breaks apart. Fission is when the nucleus breaks apart resulting in new, more stable fragments.
I specifically said "two pieces of equal type and size matter" ( in reference to two electrons ) to make it obvious that I wasn't talking about a meeting of matter and anti-matter. I was talking about the canceling out of electrons with inverse frequencies, as seen in the common double-slit experiment. When the electrons cancel out in this fashion energy is not released.Originally posted by adrianxw
When a particle and an anti particle anihilate, there combined mass is converted to energy, not nothing, e=mc^2, (in it's simplest form). Matter can be thought of as frozen energy if it helps.
I think you need to read your physics books again beege!
Isn't this not known? AFAIK (which is probably wrong), they aren't really sure if electrons have mass.Originally posted by Clyde
"well but electrons do have mass", which is true
" I found this paper in the library on fission, and while it is technically not fission, when electrons get close to the speed of light, the atom disintegrates"
How did they accelerate electrons in an atom/molecule to "the speed of light"?
This sounds rather odd to me
"I specifically said "two pieces of equal type and size matter" ( in reference to two electrons ) to make it obvious that I wasn't talking about a meeting of matter and anti-matter. I was talking about the canceling out of electrons with inverse frequencies, as seen in the common double-slit experiment. When the electrons cancel out in this fashion energy is not released."
The electrons do not cancel out, the probability of finding them in certain places drops to zero whilst the probability of finding them in other places rises.
For every line of destructive interference there is another of constructive interference.
"Isn't this not known? AFAIK (which is probably wrong), they aren't really sure if electrons have mass."
Well, as far as i'm aware they have mass, if i look in my Phys. Chem text book in the list of constants a value of 9.10939 * 10^-31 kg is given for the mass of an electron.
Last edited by Clyde; 01-17-2003 at 04:56 PM.
You're probably right. The book my school was using was quite old.
