Question

A subatomic particle created in an experiment exists in a certain state for a time of before decaying into other particles. Apply both the Heisenberg uncertainty principle and the equivalence of energy and mass to determine the minimum uncertainty involved in measuring the mass of this short-lived particle.

Answer 1

Δm Δt> h ’/ 2c²

Step-by-step explanation:

Heisenberg uncertainty principle, stable uncertainty of energy and time, with the expressions

ΔE Δt> h ’/ 2

h’= h / 2π

to relate this to the masses let's use Einstein's relationship

E = m c²

let's replace

Δ (mc²) Δt> h '/ 2

the speed of light is a constant that we can condense exact, so

Δm Δt> h ’/ 2c²