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From: guy@rlgvax.UUCP (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: M = E/C^2 ??? How??? - (nf)
Message-ID: <1345@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 26-Oct-83 23:29:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.1345
Posted: Wed Oct 26 23:29:29 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Oct-83 02:38:16 EDT
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	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.

Yes, this is correct, but in the new state the higher potential energy will
relativistically translate into a higher mass for the products of the
reaction.

	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.

Again, since an atom in an excited state has higher rest energy than the
same atom in the ground state, it will have a higher (rest) mass.  If the
quark model of particles like protons, neutrons, and pi-mesons is taken,
since those particles are composite they have excited as well as ground
states.  There are families of particles which are considered ground and
excited states of a given quark combination; the excited states have higher
mass.

	Guy Harris
	{seismo,mcnc,brl-bmd,allegra}!rlgvax!guy