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From: koch@chopin.DEC (Kevin Koch LTN1-2/B17 DTN229-6274)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: \"Randomness\" query
Message-ID: <3228@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Jul-85 21:47:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3228
Posted: Sun Jul 21 21:47:58 1985
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     It has always bothered me that unstable particles and nuclei don't
have a fixed lifetime.  We are taught to believe that everything has a
cause, yet this seems to be ignored when saying that a particle or 
nucleus has a *halflife*.  How can something exist for a random amount
of time and then decay? It seems to me that something must trigger
that decay.  What is it? 

Kevin Koch  (Koch is it!)
...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-handel!koch // koch%handel.dec@decwrl.ARPA