How far do W+ - and Z guage bosons travel in m?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the distance traveled by W+ and Z gauge bosons, particularly in the context of their half-life and speed. Participants explore the calculations related to their travel distance, considering the implications of their near-light-speed movement and the appropriate units of measurement.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions the half-life of the bosons as 3*(10^-25) seconds and calculates a distance based on this time and the speed of light.
  • Another participant corrects a misunderstanding regarding the formula for distance, clarifying that distance equals velocity multiplied by time.
  • A participant recalculates the distance using the correct formula and expresses uncertainty about the result, suggesting it is approximately 9 femtometers.
  • Further clarification is provided regarding the units, with a participant noting that 9 x 10^-16 meters equates to 0.9 femtometers.
  • A participant acknowledges a mistake in their previous post and confirms the calculated distance of 0.9 femtometers, while also referencing SI units.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the calculations related to the distance traveled by the gauge bosons, but there are minor corrections and clarifications regarding units and formulas. The discussion does not reach a consensus on the implications of these calculations.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the calculations and the correct interpretation of units, indicating a reliance on definitions and potential misunderstandings of the mathematical steps involved.

HawkI
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This is as far as I've got so far but I think I'm stuck. These bosons are inside neutrinos and they go near the speed of light. The half life of these bosons (lambada) is 3*(10-25) s

The speed of light (c) is 299 792 458m/s

So I did this c / 3*(10-25) = 9.993081931m/s

I just don't have a good feeling about this.
 
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d = vt, not v/t.
 
So Distance is equal to Velocity multiplied by Time, ok thank you.

Therefore 299 792 458 * 3*10-25 = 8.9937737-16 m/s

So that's roughly 9 femto metres?
 
m, not m/s. We're talking about distance, right?

And 1 femtometer (fm) is 10-15 m so 9 x 10-16 m = 0.9 fm.
 
Oh yeah woops I did indeed mean m, I even pressed edit on that post to check and I still missed that.
Wow thank you so the answer then is that these gauge bosons travel 0.9 fm. in there time span of 0.00000003 atto seconds?

Edit I looked up SI units on Wikipedia, they have more SI units than my Maths dictionary. 0.3 ym yocto seconds
 
Last edited:

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