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From: james@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: M = E/C^2 ??? How??? - (nf)
Message-ID: <3376@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 26-Oct-83 22:27:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3376
Posted: Wed Oct 26 22:27:44 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Oct-83 02:35:48 EDT
References: <1339@rlgvax.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 17

Guy:
	Your statement concerning increased mass in energy-consuming
chemical reactions doesn't make sense to me.  I think the popular
interpretation (mine, at least) is that the energy absorbed by the reaction
is still 'present' in the form of potential energy.  In other words, some
electron or another (or all the electrons collectively) is 'farther away'
from the nucleus (i.e. in a higher energy state), and thus has more potential
energy.

I think an example of this would be the expected value of the potential
energy operator in the ground and first-excited states of the hydrogen
atom.  Surely a photon causing the electron to move into the first-excited
state would consume energy.  The value of <V(r)> = <Y|V(r)|Y> would be
higher for the first-excited state wave function, so I would say that is
where the energy went.

  --Jim O'Toole