Special theory theory oe relativity

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the annihilation of an electron and positron in different frames of reference, specifically a moving train versus a stationary railway platform. It concludes that mass-energy is conserved in both frames, but the center of mass (c.m.) frame has less initial mass-energy, resulting in less mass-energy in the final state of the two photons produced. The energy "liberated" remains the same in both scenarios, but momentum conservation affects the usability of this energy in practical applications, such as powering a heat engine.

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will the same energy be liberated if electron and positron are annihilated in the moving train and on the railway platform
 
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Hi, sharma_satdev -- Welcome to Physics Forums!

You might want to use more descriptive titles when you start threads. This entire sub-forum is about relativity.

Mass-energy is conserved in both frames. In the center of mass frame, there is less mass-energy initially, so there is also less mass-energy in the final state consisting of the two photons.

Whether the difference between the two frames should be considered as a difference in energy "liberated" is a different issue. Say you're going to use the radiation to power a heat engine. Any process, such as the cycle of a heat engine, has to conserve momentum. Therefore if you consider such a process in a frame other than the c.m. frame, there is always some energy that you can't harvest, because it's locked up in the c.m. motion. In this sense, the amount of energy liberated is the same in both frames.
 

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